Reminiscence
by Fried Cheesecake
Summary: Three years postgame, Yuan is invited to a reunion party at Zelos' mansion. One problem- our Seraph has lost his memory. What chaos can ensue? Yuan's POV, YuanxSheena
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Ugh..."

I open my eyes and blink, immediately stunned by the lights shining above me. I groan again, not because I'm in pain, but because the minute I slide into the conscious world I realize that I'm laying on a gurney in a hospital room, and that makes me wonder what dumbass stunt I pulled to end up here.

Someone gasps sharply, which freaks me out a little, because aren't you always supposed to be alone when you wake up in a hospital? And then as soon as you figure out exactly how you got injured, the doctor strolls in and gives you a speech about how you're lucky to be alive. Well, evidently not.

I slowly turn my head to the right, which is where the gasp came from. Sure enough, there's someone there.

There are two nurses standing beside my bed, and the minute I look at them they seize my arm and poke the hugest needle I have ever seen into it. Strangely enough, I can't feel it and don't even flinch when they stab me with it. I wonder how drugged up I am.

One of the nurses quickly leaves the room, her rubber shoes squeaking as she walks down the hallway... I'm imagining things, I can't possibly hear that well. The second nurse stares at me, still holding the vial full of blood that he took form my arm. He strokes his chin, studying me. I glare at him.

Finally, he speaks. "You shouldn't be alive," he says in a strangled sort of voice. I raise my eyebrow at him, and test out my own voice.

"Oh?" I say, startling him. He stumbles back and almost knocks over the drip. "And why is that?"

He stares at me, a stunned expression on his face. I don't know what I did to end up in this hospital, I can't figure it out for the life of me, but it must've been something pretty bad for him to act like this. Nurses generally keep their cool. Then again, I can't feel any pain, my hearing is abnormally good and I'm still able to talk. No idea why I'm here.

"You can talk," he stutters. "You..." He takes a deep breath, then steps forward again and places his first two fingers on the inside of my wrist. "You shouldn't be able to talk," he mutters, probably thinking I can't hear him. "Technically, you're dead."

"I'm dead?" I scoff. He stares at me again, still wide-eyed.

"You don't have a pulse," he explains. I blink. Oh. _That's_ why he's freaking out.

* * *

Do Seraphim have pulses? Because they don't need to breathe, so I figure, you know... lungs and the heart kind of go hand in hand, so I'm going to say...- No, they don't have pulses. Please debate this.

This is the greatest prologue you have ever read. Almost as great as Mandalf. But not quite. XD

**Disclaimer: Do not own Tales of Symphonia, because if I did we would have dance-offs in the place of battles. **


	2. Chap 1: Why Are You Saluting Me?

**Chapter One: Why Are You Saluting Me?**

Eleven months and seven days. That's how long it's been since I've lost my memory.

I'm not enough of a nerd to calculate down to the exact hours, minutes and seconds but the hospital could tell you. They've called me a "living miracle," because apparently I don't have a heartbeat, but I've never cared enough to actually check. I'm still alive, right? Technically, no.

The hospital has determined that until they can figure out how to reproduce my "condition" (as they put it), they're going to keep the secret of the No Pulse Miracle hidden, buried away where no one can find it. The head doctor on this experiment, Dr. Kozuki, told me this and I gave her this look like "That's great. Good for you." They don't appreciate my attitude much, but it's not gonna get any better, especially since now they're ready to ship me off to the Sybak Research Academy.

In their dreams.

Technically they can't make me do anything, but they'll try to persuade me to go to Sybak anyways, not that it'll actually do any good. I don't ever listen to them, despite the fact that they think they can control me. I don't even have to stay in Flanoir, which is the location of the hospital, and I'm not going to for much longer. I've been stuck here for as long as I can remember (eleven months, actually), stuck because I still haven't ever thought of going anywhere else. I've never left this continent, but I think it's time that I do so. Meltokio sounds nice.

So by next week I'll be out of Blizzard City and living in Meltokio. The only things that I'll really miss about Flanoir are Esther and Isaiah, the couple that live in the apartment next to mine. I've no idea how they ended up in Flanoir- Isaiah told me that they used to work for a company which was located on one of the small, rocky, snow-covered islands surrounding this continent, but I can't even begin to imagine what kind of idiot would live out there. For some reason, from the moment I first met them they've been very concerned about my memory loss. Maybe I knew them before my memory wiped out- it seems like it.

It's the last day of the Goddess Festival- though from what Isaiah told me, it sounds like there never was a goddess to begin with. He said the people of Symphonia have been worshiping a fake idol for thousands of years, which was probably an even stupider idea than living out on those islands. What moron thought that up?

Esther and Isaiah have somehow managed to force me out of the comfort of my home and drag me all the way to the church where the usual ceremony is taking place. We're not even in the church- they've insisted on standing outside and peering in through the windows. Not that the cold bothers me. Another one of side effects that comes with the No Pulse Miracle. They're both peeping in on the ceremony as I stand to the side, scowling, arms crossed.

"Having fun, Yuan?" Esther chirps, noticing the look on my face. I scowl even darker and she rolls her eyes, muttering something about how I'm no fun.

"What's the point of holding this ceremony if there isn't even a goddess?" I ask, watching the snow fall over the white city. I'm covered in snow, and am also about ankle deep in it. Esther and Isaiah both glance at me, than back at each other, then back at me. I watch them, unnerved. They do too often for it to be a good thing. "What?" I snap.

Isaiah shrugs. "Well, most people only… ah… found out that the goddess wasn't real just three years ago, and the majority wasn't too fond of the idea. They've been worshiping her for 4000 years, and then all of a sudden they're told she doesn't exist." He looks out over the city, hesitating, then continues. "Most people don't want to believe it, so they continue with their traditions." He pauses again and studies the hard look etched upon my face. "But they'll get used to it eventually," he reassures me. Great. Good for them. I would probably have something to say about this if I hadn't lost my memory, but evidently…

Isaiah and Esther go back to spying on the ceremony, which isn't really all that exciting. It's just a bunch of lighting candles and then listening to the high priest reading scriptures in Angelic and then weaving wreaths of flowers (where in the world did we get flowers in the middle of winter?) and piling them on top of the altar. Nothing life changing. At least not for me.

I move away to go stand at the balcony which overlooks the entire city. It's beautiful, staring out over a huge palace of snow-covered chimneys, roofs and spires, the light of the twin moons peeking through silver clouds to cast a gentle glow and shadow on this enchanted city. There's a part of me that doesn't want to leave Flanoir, doesn't want to ever say goodbye...

"...is that Yuan?"

I whip my head around, glancing about for the source of the whisper. No one's directly behind me- Esther and Isaiah are still over by the church. Someone else said my name, but no one else is outside. At least not in my immediate field of vision. I search the street and eventually find a young couple standing behind a lamppost, almost completely covered in shadow. I can't make out many details with snow dancing wildly in front of my eyes, but from what I can tell, the taller one is male and has spiky hair and the shorter one is a girl with waist-length hair. Other than that, I can't tell anything. I'm not positive if I know them or not. I didn't recognize the voice.

There aren't many people who can take the bitter chill of Flanoir on a mid-winter night, but these two are an exception. They're standing close together, wrapped in coats and scarves, with the slicing wind slapping their unprotected faces. I watch them, eyes narrowed. Whoever they are, they know my name and that automatically makes them suspicious. Esther and Isaiah are probably the only ones in Flanoir who are on first-name terms with me.

Finally, they notice me watching them. The male quickly turns his eyes to the ground, hands shoved in his pockets. The girl glances at him, then turns to look back at me and we lock eyes- my emerald versus her seemingly blue... I can't tell from here. But she looks away after that, nudging the guy in the opposite direction. Slowly, they turn and walk away.

I'm still standing there ten minutes later, still staring at the spot where the mystery couple once stood, when Esther and Isaiah skip over. No words are exchanged between the three of us as we trudge through the snow back to our apartment complex.

* * *

_Diiiiiing-dooooong_.

I glance up from where I'm sitting on the floor of my living room, deeply absorbed in one of the many novels I've collected over these long months. Frowning, I take a look at my watch: 4:39 a.m. The No Pulse Miracle also has a side effect of not being able to sleep, meaning I don't have to sleep to still function. I never sleep. I can't, it's impossible. But the sun hasn't even risen yet- everyone else who's in their right mind should still be in bed. I set the book down and stumble past cardboard boxes and piles of junk that has yet to be packed and cautiously open my front door.

Oh.

It's just Esther.

"Surprise!" she says, cheerful as ever. I can only wonder what she's doing up at this hour. "I've come to farewell you, since you're leaving today!"

Well, that explains it. "Esther, it's not even five yet," I mutter, slightly exasperated. "You didn't have to do this."

"Don't be silly, of course I did," she insists, shoving past me and barging into my living room. "My gawd, Yuan, you've barely packed."

I close the front door and follow her, brow furrowed. "I have packed. Just not... everything."

The room is mostly full of cardboard boxes, filled with stuff I hastily shoved in there last night. Then I tried to pack up my books but got distracted. I've gone through about half my novels by now, reading since midnight. The lamp I've been using to read is sitting on the ground next to the enormous stack of books, which is so high it's about to topple over. Esther stares at the room, with pursed lips and an unsatisfied expression. She doesn't say anything, but turns to look at me with a glare that means her neat-freakness is kicking in and she's going to clean the crap out of this room.

"When's the moving service getting here?" she asks in a sweet voice which is so obviously fake. I glanced at my watch again. 4:45.

"Um."

"Don't tell me five."

"Then I won't."

There's a silence as Esther rolls her eyes, then sighs deeply. "Alright," she says finally, eyes wide. "I've got fifteen minutes." Without another word, she moves forward and starts to pack up anything that's not already in a box. Awkwardly, I start to help, but stop abruptly after a fierce glare.

"You don't have to do this, you know," I say, leaning against the wall. Esther unplugs my reading lamp and wraps up the cord.

"No, I don't," she responds in an oddly quiet voice. She looks up at me with a curious glint in her eyes. "Would it feel odd if I called you 'sir'?" she murmurs, raising her right hand in a salute. I stare at her, utterly confused.

"What are you talking about?" I exclaim. "Why- you're saluting me?"

She quickly lowers the hand and looks away. "Nothing. Forget I said anything, sir."

Esther leaves after that and an hour later after the boxes have been cleared out by the moving service and I've handed over my apartment key to the landlord and I'm waiting for the first flight to Meltokio National, I'm still wondering why she called me 'sir'.

* * *

Airports? Absolutely, why not. They have rheairds... they can build a commercial flying machine, right?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia, or any characters, places, events or objects included in the game that appear in this story. But Esther and Isaiah are mine. ;D


	3. Chap 2: Assaulted By The Chosen

**Chapter Two: Assaulted by the Chosen**

Meltokio is proving to be _quite _the city.

For the first few days after my arrival, I had barricaded myself in my apartment, the door locked at least five times, turned the volume on the radio up all the way and set myself about to rearranging my furniture. The reason being the former Chosen of Tethe'alla.

The moment I set foot in Meltokio, Master Zelos Wilder had called out my name and made a beeline straight for me, groupies following in a giggling cluster. I was perturbed as to how exactly the Chosen knew my name, and did not desire to be put in the spotlight (much less in the company of Master Wilder) so I set an immediate course for my new apartment, sliding in and out of crowds in order to avoid the red-haired philanderer. Esther and Isaiah have been to Meltokio before, and they've met the former Chosen, so they told me all about him.

Almost a week from that day, I open my front door for the first time and peek out, checking to make sure that no Chosen or groupies are in sight. Nope. All clear. Cautiously, I step out and make sure to lock the door behind me. I'm on the third story of my apartment complex, with a crazy cat lady on my right (I can hear the meowing, 24/7 since I don't sleep) and what sounds like a rock band gig on my left. The No Pulse Miracle allows extra sensitive hearing, and they're driving me crazy.

Since my new neighbors are annoying the living shit out of me, I've decided that it's time to finally get out of my apartment and explore the city. I manage to make it across the balcony, down the stairs and to the street without eminent disaster, but that's as far as I get. As I'm standing on the sidewalk below my apartment complex, deciding where I should go first, a woman's voice calls out, "Yuan? What are you doing here?"

Oh god. Not again. I'm still paranoid about the young couple that was watching me in Flanoir, and then Zelos Wilder yelling at me like an old school mate, so when I hear this new person's voice, saying my name clearly, I'm thinking something along the lines of, "Why the hell do all these random people know who I am?" Determined not to be deterred, I ignore the voice. Of course, no one gives up that easily.

"Yuan." There it is again. Sighing in defeat, I glance behind me and spot a pale, raven-haired girl watching me, hands on her hips. Kinda cute too. She raises an eyebrow, and gives me a look like, "What the hell you doin' here, beyotch?" Talk about attitude. Just makes her look cuter.

It's time to face these people, so I turn around and narrow my eyes at her, arms crossed. She cocks her head to the side and speaks again before I can even open my mouth.

"Geez, loosen up, will you?" she says, then goes silent. (She's cute when she's angry.) Time for me to say something. For now, I'm going to pretend that I know exactly who she is.

"What are you doing here?" I ask in a tone that seems to fit the situation. She moves to stand by me, then stops abruptly.

"You're not going to kidnap me or anything?"

Um... _what?!? _

Unsure of exactly how to answer that when I have no idea what she's talking about, I say, "Uh, no."

She takes another step forward and now we're side by side, blocking the entire sidewalk. Way to go. "Zelos is having a reunion party at his house tomorrow night," she explains, glancing down at her feet. I furrow my brow. Zelos? She must be in league with the Chosen. He knows my name too... maybe there's a giant 'stalk Yuan' cult and-... no, nevermind, I'm just going to end that train of thought right now before it gets to weird.

The woman crosses her arms and glances at me. "You uh... you look kind of sick," she says. Well, I know better. The No Pulse Miracle also prevents sickness.

"I don't get sick," I say defiantly. That's probably the first thing I've been certain of since this conversation started.

She nods like she already knew that. "Oh, right. Seraph and all."

I stare at her, hopelessly confused. Seraph? What the hell is that?

She clears her throat. "Well... um... I'm just gonna head off now," she says, breaking the awkward silence that had settled in. "Uh... nice seeing you, I... guess."

"Uh, yeah. Nice seeing you too." I turn to walk the other way, then stop because I notice that the woman hasn't moved at all. I turn back towards her, giving her a raised eyebrow look. "Something wrong?"

"You just said 'nice seeing you'," she comments, eyes wide.

"So did you," I point out, unable to see anything wrong with what I said.

"But you..." She shakes her head, and turns away. "Nevermind."

There's one thing I want to ask her before she leaves, something I didn't think of until she turned away, so I clear my throat and tap my foot on the ground, hoping she'll get the message. She does, and glances over her shoulder at me, looking slightly irritated.

"Yeah?"

"...what's your name again?" I ask, making it sound like I temporarily forgot. She scowls deeply and glares at me.

"You went through that all conversation without remembering my name?" she snaps. I cross my arms.

"Just tell me. I might kidnap you if you don't." Well, she's apparently under the impression that I'm a serial kidnapper, so I might as well use it to my advantage.

She puts her hands on her hips again. "Sheena. Sheena Fujibayashi."

"So is that one or two Sheenas?"

She glares at me again, this time thoroughly agitated. "Goodbye, Yuan."

"Goodbye... Sheena."

So. Sheena Fuji... I have no idea what her last name was. But at least I know her first name, so if I ever run into her again, I'll be able to pretend like I actually know who she is. Well, pretend better than I did just now, at any rate.

...did I say that she's cute when she's angry?

But I digress. Sheena appears to know Zelos Wilder, know him well enough to be invited to a reunion party. I've no idea about what kind of reunion party, or who's going to be there (maybe it's a reunion of all of my stalkers), not that that's really important. But it's kind of freaking me out.

The rest of my venture is fairly normal. I explore the city, getting to know it and getting used to it. Meltokio is very different from Flanoir, mostly because people can actually spend time outside here without getting frostbite. Not that it matters to me.

I'm passing the Coliseum when someone launches themselves on my back, screaming, "YUAN!" at the top of their lungs. I almost have a heart attack, and then I remember that I don't have a heart. I glance behind me, muttering "what the f..." to myself, but I stop immediately when I see who it is.

Master Zelos Wilder.

I am very perturbed as to how he knows my name, and why he treats me like we were best friends in junior high. Of course, he's friends with Sheena- he invited her to a reunion party, after all...

The former Chosen straightens up, wild red hair flying everywhere and grins at me, one arms slung over my shoulders. I scowl at him, feeling very uncomfortable.

"You ran away from me the other day," he says, still grinning like a maniac.

I scowl deeper. "Why would I have stayed?"

At this, he pouts, but quickly wipes that away and smiles again. "So," he exclaims, and we start walking towards the noble quarters, his arm _still _over my shoulder. Just what was my relation to this guy? "I'm having a reunion party tomorrow night," he starts, and I can imagine where this is going. "And ya know, originally I didn't invite you because, well... a few reasons, the main one being that none of us have seen you in three years."

Three years? Hmm... so I knew both Zelos and Sheena for at least two years before I lost my memory. That would explain a lot.

"But now that you're here," he continues, grinning even broader, "you are officially invited to Zelos Wilder's New Years Reunion Party!"

He stops walking and (finally) removes his arm, placing his hands on his hips. I would assume that I'm supposed to say "Absolutely, I'd love to come" right about now, but there's a bit of a problem with that. First off, I don't even know this guy. Well... technically speaking, I do, I've known him for two, three years, whatever he said but I (obviously) don't remember him. Secondly, reunion party's gonna be a little awkward if I don't remember anybody there.

Zelos raises an eyebrow, tapping his foot on the ground. For a moment, I consider telling him the truth. Then I decide that I'll just politely decline.

"Well, I-"

"I knew you'd say yes!" he cries, clapping his hands together. Wait... what?

"But I didn't-"

"Now look, it's tomorrow night, starts at 9:00 and we're going to be staying up all night, because it's gonna be New Years Eve and all, so sleep tight tonight and- oh, well, I guess, you know, being a Seraph and all, you don't need to sleep-"

_What?!? _It's that word again, Seraph. I haven't the foggiest what it means, but from what both Zelos and Sheena have said...

"- so I'll see ya at my mansion at nine tomorrow!"

Zelos waves, then skips over to join a flock of groupies that have gathered at the entrance to the nobles quarters. He leaves me standing in the middle of the square, utterly confused.

* * *

Will Yuan go to the party? Will he tell Zelos the truth? Will he run into anyone else? Will he make another comment about how Sheena's cute when she's angry? Will he find out what 'Seraph' means? How does he know that 'Seraph' is capitalized?

So I had posted the first chapter...- and then I realized how ridiculously short it was. Unfortunately, I'd already written up to chappy four and they were all that length, so because I'm lazy and need to get crackin' on my summer homework- everything up until chappy four is short. Chaps five and six are long, already written them. Need to start chappy seven...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia, because if I did then it would play "Burn Baby Burn (Disco Inferno)" when you fight Efreet (and "Ice, Ice, Baby" for Celsius and "Dontcha" for Kratos and "Mortal Kombat" for Remiel... you get the point).


	4. Chap 3: The Twin Angel Stars

**Chapter Three: The Twin Angel Stars **

Well, it's New Years Eve, and here I am, still debating what to do.

Technically speaking, it's not quite New Years Eve yet, because it's only three in the afternoon, but it's getting close. I've got six hours to make up my mind, and that doesn't seem like long enough at all. I spent practically the whole of yesterday weighing the pros and cons of attending this party... and the way I see it, it's pretty obvious that it would be in my better interest to stay at home instead (Zelos doesn't know where I live, right?).

But I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I should go. It might help me, and this is just a hypothetical, start to regain my memory. Maybe interacting with a group of people that I once knew would bring back memories of times before...

I'll just say this: living without the knowledge of what I was doing of where I was just a year ago makes me feel very empty. It's odd, because everyone else has their whole life behind them, stored away in their mind and can recall most important things that have happened in their lifetime, regardless of good or bad. I don't have that. For me, it's like I began this life eleven months ago when I woke up in that Flanoir hospital, without a clue about the world.

For the most part, I wish I could regain my memory, but there have been times in the past where I've found myself feeling glad that I don't have that kind of access to everything that's ever happened to me. I imagine it's strange, being able to think back to when you were but a child, when everything was sunny and dandy, and remember your first best friend, your first day of school... and then looking back at your teenage years, reminiscing of that ridiculous crush you had, the time you asked out a girl way out of your league... remembering your first kiss.

I don't have this, and I'm not sure I want it back, but at the same time, I'm curious. I'd like to find out, take a look at my childhood, and then examine the long years that have passed since then. Though honestly, I'm kidding myself thinking that this party will help me with any of that. Meeting both Zelos and Sheena didn't do anything for me, so it's likely that being reintroduced to anyone else will.

Still... I think I should go.

I'm sitting in the Grand Meltokian Library at an old wooden table, poring through the hugest history book I have ever seen in my life- er, eleven months of life. The reason being Mithos the Hero.

I've known that name for a while now, I've heard of him, how he put and end to some famous war by making a pact with the goddess (the fake one) or something like that. A few days before I left Flanoir, I asked Isaiah about Mithos, because I never got the full story and I figured he would know. He went strangely quiet, looking me over, examining me with his dark eyes, gazing straight into my soul. Eventually, he told me that I should read about him in a book since he wasn't a good storyteller (despite the fact that he _is _a good storyteller). Well, here I am.

So I read about Mithos the Hero and the goddess Martel and all about the Desians and everything- and then I turn the page and come upon an illustration that takes my breath away (figuratively, of course).

This man... he must be Mithos, blonde hair, green eyes and rose colored wings... _very _familiar looking, though I can't imagine where I'd have seen him before.

And the goddess... the same green eyes as the hero, although her hair is a pale emerald color and her figure in the image is faded, ensnared in light...

Both of them are so... _familiar. _I can't put my finger on it, but I have definitely seen the pair somewhere before.

I turn to the next page, slightly paranoid about that illustration and come upon a little blurp that goes something like this:

_According to an ancient Elven legend, Mithos the Hero was accompanied and assisted by two of his close friends, both males- a human and a half-elf. Although Mithos' supposed companions are not mentioned in the majority of ancient texts, save the Elven scriptures, they are speculated to have appeared in many illustrations throughout history. Often times, they are said to be depicted as angels, guiding Mithos on his journey to seal away the Desians. Rumor has it that it is possible to view one of his companions in the famous illustration "The Hero and The Goddess" (see the previous page). He is said to have been painted in the bottom right corner of the illustration- however, it is unclear as to whether he is the human or the half-elf._

Curious, I flip to the previous page and glance down at the bottom right corner. Sure enough, a small someone had been painted there, just below Mithos himself. Red hair, carrying a sword... looks like a human to me, but what do I know? I turn back to the item on Mithos' companions and continue where I left off...

_The names of these supposed companions are never recited in the Elven scriptures and their physical appearances are never described in detail, so it is impossible to know if any of these rumored illustrations are, indeed, of Mithos' escorts. _

Well, that was a big help. Why'd they even put that in there? Didn't learn a thing from it. Regardless, I continue on.

_However, the Elven scriptures do tell the tale of the Twin Angel Stars, which may be related to Mithos' companions. For full details on the Twin Angel Stars, proceed to page 503. _

That's one fat history book. Needless to say, I proceed to page 503. "The Twin Angel Stars," I mutter, chin resting in the palm of my hand.

_The Twin Angel Stars are two of the stars in the constellation Mithos, which depicts the hero of the ancient war. These stars represent the eyes of our hero, and are rumored to shine brighter than any others in the sky. There is an old Elven legend that tells how these two stars came to be in the night sky, and it is the only written story that directly involves the Twin Angel Stars._

_"Mithos the Hero was legendary and brave, but even the boldest of us all become weary at times. Mithos may have been a great hero, but he was no exception. One spring afternoon, while on his journey to end the war, he became very tired from traveling and sat down to rest. It was not long until he slipped into a deep slumber._

_He dreamed that he was visited by two angels, both of them supreme fighters and superb thinkers. The first angel carried a flaming sword, and the second carried a double-edged blade. They were aware of his fatigue and each gave him some of their mana, helping him to rise out of his sleep and continue on his way."_

_The rest of the legend goes on to tell how Mithos put an end to the war and sacrificed himself in order to seal away the Desians. The two angels are not mentioned again until the very end of the story, where they are said to be grieving over the loss of the hero's life. _

_"The two angels, blinded by tears, then laid down their weapons and flew into the heavens, where they shone brighter than any star in the sky. The positioned themselves in the eyes of the constellation that would come to be known as Mithos, and to this day, the Twin Angel Stars still sparkle in the sky."_

I sit at the table, stroking my chin. Not to be disrespectful to history or anything, but this Mithos guy sounds like he was kind of crazy. The legend of the Twin Angel Stars is obviously bullshit, but I think there is some truth to the bit about Mithos' companions. I turn back to "The Hero and The Goddess," staring at the small figure in the corner. He doesn't look anything like the rest of the figures in the picture... Mithos and Martel stand out, as they are the main focus of the picture, but the rest of the illustration is mainly a huge sea of Desians- and this random guy in the corner. Seems just a little- wait.

On the other side of the picture, also in the bottom corner, there's another small illustration, similar to the first random guy although this dude is deliberately tiny, as if the artist didn't want people to see him. Evidently no one's looked too closely at this picture, because the book only mentioned one of Mithos' companions being visible, but I'm pretty sure that this guy ain't a Desian.

It's hard to tell exactly what color his hair is (that's how absolutely minute he is), but I'm willing to bet on light blue. Sort of the same shade as my hair...

For a moment, I lose my brain and have a wild daydream that I was one of Mithos the Hero's companions, that I lived 4000 years ago and assisted him in the ancient war.

Then I come back to reality.

But not entirely. It's... it's possible, right? I don't have a pulse, I don't have to breathe, I don't have to eat or sleep, I don't feel pain or temperature or... actually... his companions were rumored to be angels... I read a bit on angels earlier and-

"We meet again."

I look up, my train of thought completely crashed. No way I'm going to be able to remember what exactly I was thinking five minutes from now. Sheena Fuji-whatever is standing right in front of me, arms crossed, eyebrows raised. For a split second I consider ignoring her, or telling her to leave, but then I realize- I still need to decide about the reunion party.

"Indeed," I reply, fingering the page with the large, mysterious illustration. She glances down at the book and furrows her brow, but doesn't say anything about it.

"I talked to Zelos," she says slowly, "and he said that-"

I interrupt her, figuring I could at least be polite. (How ironic was that sentence?) "Why don't you sit down?" I say, gesturing towards the chair across from me.

Her eyes nearly pop out of her head and she gapes like I just totally owned her or something. "What?" she exclaims, nearly gasping. I hesitate. Gawd, what was wrong with me before I lost my memory? I must've been extremely rude, not to mention a serial kidnapper.

I bite my lip. "Well, are you going to sit down or are you just going to keep staring at me like that?"

She's hesitant, but after a moment she pulls the chair out and slides into it. I have to say, she's very... _attractive_...

"So, um, _anyways_," she says in an irritated tone, obviously noticing my dropping gaze. My head snaps back up.

"Uh... yeah?"

"I talked to Zelos and he said you're going to the reunion."

"Ah, well..."

"You _are_?"

"Well, no, I never-"

"You aren't then? But he said you were."

"Well..." I pause, thinking of how to word this. "It's just that..."

She watches me curiously, a slight smirk on her face. "You're afraid to tell me something," she says in an amused tone.

I sigh, and look back down at the minuscule figure with cerulean blue hair, carrying what looks to me like a double-edged sword. Sheena glances at the book, but I don't think she can see it from across the table.

"I can't go," I say finally, still not looking up. There's a silence, then-

"Why not? Got a date?" she says sarcastically.

I roll my eyes. "Slightly more serious than that."

"Then what?" She spreads her arms out. "It's pretty unbelievable already that I'm sitting here having a normal conversation with you. I don't think a bad excuse for not going to a party is going to shock me."

I trace the outline of Mithos the Hero with my finger, then look up and meet Sheena's eyes.

"I lost my memory."

* * *

Oh snap.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia, but if I did then there would be a side quest called "Kratos' Birthday." I think you can imagine what _that_ would be like.


	5. Chap 4: It's A Date

**Chapter Four: It's a Date**

There's a stunned silence, then-

"_What?!?_"

Sheena stares at me, mouth hanging open, eyes wide in disbelief. I shrug and glance back down at the illustration in the book. She stutters, unable to form a sentence. After a moment, I look back up.

"Are you going to say something, but should we just end this conversation right now?" I ask, a tired tone in my voice. She takes a deep breath, then looks me dead in the eyes.

"You said that you lost your memory."

"Correct."

"Then... but you knew me. When I saw you yesterday, you knew who I was."

I tut-tut. "Not true. I asked you to remind me of your name just before you left yesterday. I really had no idea who you were."

Sheena leans back in her chair, looking stunned. "But Zelos- you talked to him yesterday too..."

"It was the same thing with him. I just went along with the conversation, I didn't really know him. I knew his name, and that was it."

She raises her eyebrows, and glances down at the book I was reading with an almost pitying expression. "So why are you reading about Mithos the Hero?" she says softly, eyes lost in a river of emotion. I gaze at the illustration again.

"I lived in Flanoir before I came here. One of my friends suggested that I do so." I looked back up at Sheena. "That's all."

"Do you think I would know this 'friend'?" she asked, clasping her hands together, eyebrows still raised.

I shrug. "He never mentioned you. Isaiah Halson? Sound familiar?"

She shakes her head. "Nah. Don't know him. Unless..." she trails off, tapping her chin. "Hmm. Did he say anything about his... career before he moved to Flanoir?"

I'm a little unwilling to give her all this information about Isaiah, but I figure, hey what the hell. "He worked for some big company. No idea what it was called, but their main headquarters was on an island off the coast of Flanoir." Sheena gets a strange look in her eyes, far away and distant. "No idea was idiot would build headquarters out there."

Apparently this is amusing, because she bites her lip in a failed attempt to hold back a grin, then cocks her head to one side, which is, by the way, gorgeous. "Really, what an idiot. Must've been some kinda moron."

I furrow my brow, and her grin fades a little. "Why was that so funny?" I ask.

"Nothing. It's not important." She sits up straight and puts her palms flat on the table. "Look- back to the party... though I still can't believe you've lost your memory, but... _anyways_, I'm thinking that you have about two options here: One- you go to the party but you don't tell anyone about your memory loss. Two- you go to the party and you _do _tell everyone about your memory loss."

"You forgot one. Three- I just don't go."

"Uh-uh-uh." She wags a finger in my face, and I take note that she wasn't this outgoing before she found out about my memory loss. "That's not an option, so-"

"Why not?"

"Because you're going and that's that."

I frown and cross my arms, leaning back in my chair. "What if I don't want to go?"

Sheena smirks. "Well, that's just too bad for you, because you're going no matter what."

Oh. Great.

"So it's your choice. Pretend or no pretend."

Well- this decision could take a while, because I can see the pluses of both options. If I'm going to get the same reaction as Sheena from everyone else, then I don't think I want to tell everyone about my memory loss. However... it's going to be hard, attending a party and pretending that I know everyone there. Of course, Sheena sounds like she's willing to help me, so maybe she'd be able to give me some background information concerning the other party attendees.

Maybe I should go. I was seriously considering attending about an hour ago, before Sheena even showed up, and now I think my mind's back on track with that idea.

"So?"

Sheena's staring at me with such intensity that if I had a heart I think it would have stopped. "Um..."

"Are you going or not?"

Sighing, I close the book and stand up. "I don't know. I really don't." I go to return the book to the shelves, and Sheena jumps up and follows me.

"C'mon. It'll be fun."

"You say that now," I warn in a low tone. "But I can guarantee, if I do go then it's going to turn into a disaster."

"How so?" she asks, hands on her hips. "Look, I'm sure everyone'll understand if you tell them that you've lost your memory. They're good people."

"Well that's great, but what point is there in going to a reunion party if I can't remember anything? That's not really a reunion, is it?"

"But would you go if, say, I gave you info about everyone so you could at least pretend like you know them?"

I slide the book back onto the shelf and turn to face Sheena. "What the hell would be the point in that? 'Oh hey, I don't remember you, but I'm going to pretend like I do!'"

She scowls and cross her arms. "At least I'm offering. I could just not be any help at all."

"Yeah, and then I'd be free to go home and do whatever I want."

"Well, I highly doubt you're actually doing anything else worthwhile, so you might as well go."

I sigh, rubbing my temples. This woman is so insistent, but I can't help feeling... I suppose 'pleased' would be the right word. Pleased that she's trying to help me... hmm... just got a wonderful idea. Maybe- well, she wants me to go to the party, maybe-

"I'll go to the party if you go out with me," I say suddenly. I don't even realize what I'm saying until the sentence ends. Her jaw drops and she narrows her eyes, taking a step back.

"Are you- are you actually-" she stutters, looking slightly horrified. I smirk.

"Asking you out?" I finish for her. "Yeah, I am."

She stares at me, looking slightly aghast. Her face goes blank for a second, then a small smile appears. "You know, I would slap most people for saying that," she says in what I take to be a flirtatious tone.

I cross my arms, still smirking. "I'm not most people."

Sheena bites her lip, but is smiling nonetheless. "Evidently," she replies. "So you'll really go to the party?"

"Yes. But... you're going to have to fill me in on all the people that are going to be there." She puts her hands on her hips again.

"Fine. So when are we going on this date?"

I shrug. "Why not tonight?"

"The party, idiot."

"I was talking about dinner."

"...well... I'll see you then."

"What do you mean-"

"I know where you live."

And with that, she was gone.

You have no idea how much fun that was to write.

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia, and it's probably a good thing that I don't because if I did then Regal would have an Australian accent. (G'day, mate!)

P.S: Can you believe all these cheesy chapter titles? Yeah, me neither.


	6. Chap 5: When Did You Two Get Together?

**Chapter Five: When Did You Two Get Together?!?**

Six o'clock.

Three hours later, and I'm laying on my couch with my head hanging off the edge of the cushion wondering just what the hell I've gotten myself into. Sheena seems pretty determined to make this work, and there's no way I'll be able to weasel out of it _now_.

Closing my eyes, I drift off into dreamland for a moment and continue my warped daydream of being one of Mithos' companions. Hey- it's not totally out there, I don't sleep, eat, feel pain... though I think I would notice if I was 4000 years old.

The doorbell rings, very suddenly, and my eyes pop open as I fall off the couch and land on my butt. Muttering under my breath, I make my way over to the door and open it. Sheena's standing outside, but...

"What the HELL are you _wearing_?" I ask, eyes wide. She crosses her arms, face flushing.

"It's a formal reunion, stupid," she says, scowling. I furrow my brow. "So I'm wearing my formal outfit."

"That looks more slutty than formal to me," I say and lean against the door frame. A moment passes. "Not that I mind," I add with a smirk.

She clenches her teeth. "You-"

I'm already back in the hallway, heading towards my bedroom to change. "You walked right into that one, coming up dressed like that," I yell over my shoulder.

So ten minutes later we're down on the streets in the Entertainment District, wandering around looking for a good restaurant. So it's not really a date.

I don't know about Sheena, but I feel extremely overdressed compared to everyone else here. I guess the rest of the people out on the streets on New Years Eve are dressed warmly, bundled up for the fireworks that are supposed to happen at midnight. Only heaven knows why they're out here at six when the fireworks aren't until twelve. Sheena looks like she's about to freeze to death (note: her formal outfit shows quite a bit of skin), and I'm wondering if maybe I should do something so I take her hand and drag her into the nearest restaurant, which turns out to be a bad choice.

We step into the small, retro diner and Sheena immediately crosses her arms again, feeling (no doubt) self-conscious. I would too if I was wearing that... not that I would wear that, seeing as I'm a guy and all... Whatever.

"So why here?" Sheena asks me after we've been seated in a booth with sparkly red vinyl seats. I shrug and pick up the menu, then realize 'Wait! I don't eat!' She notices the slightly pissed expression on my face.

"You don't eat," she says slowly. "That's right." She stops suddenly and bites her lip. "Uh... do you _know _why you don't eat?"

I hesitate, then answer. "I'm what the doctors call The No Pulse Miracle," I say, being dead serious, and she stares at me with an unreadable expression on her face. Somewhere between confused, angry and... amused? "What's with that look?" I ask. "You already knew that I don't eat or-" I'm interrupted as she bursts out laughing, attracting many strange glances.

Sheena's biting her lip still giggling when she speaks again. "Sorry," she laughs. "It's just... well- I don't even know how to explain it, but..." She clears her throat. "Before I get into _that_, you need to know the names of everyone who's going to be at the party."

I frown. "Great."

"Hey, you agreed to do this."

"Fine. I'm ready. Throw 'em at me.

She takes a deep breath, then begins to talk. "Alright. So you've already met Zelos, obviously, and you know that he's the former Chosen and a pervert and a womanizer."

"Yeah."

"So... I guess that's all you need to know about him."

"Alright."

"Moving on, we have Lloyd Irving. He's the one with spiky brown hair, and he's kind of the village idiot where he comes from, but he's like a hero and everything. Also, you uh... well, you and him get along, I guess, but not too well-"

"Why not?"

"That's a _really _long story."

"...whatever, just continue."

"Right, and you were also uh... well, you knew his father for a, um, very long time. Of course, his dad's gone now-"

"He died?"

"Uh, no."

I spread my hands out. "Then where is he? And our waiter, where's he?"

As if on cue, a waitress (so I got the gender wrong, big deal) appears out of nowhere and whips out a pad and pencil.

"My name's Shelly, I'm gonna be your waitress, what can I get y'all this evenin'?" She says all this is one breath, then stares expectantly at us. Sheena places her order and Shelly whips her curly head of hair in my direction.

"I'm good, thanks," I say, trying to get rid of her as fast as possible.

"You sure, hun? 'Cause I can get ya-"

"I'm fine, thank you," I growl through gritted teeth.

"Well alright, hun, but if you need anything, just holler." Shelly speeds off, and it's then that I notice all the waiters and waitresses are rolling around on skates.

"That was polite," Sheena says, stirring her glass of water with a straw. I glare at her.

"She called me 'hun'."

"Yes, I got that. How about we continue?"

Grumbling, I take the hint and shut up.

"So Lloyd's dad is gone away, he's um... in a foreign country or something like that."

"What 'foreign country'? I thought there was-"

"Look," Sheena hisses, leaning in. "OK, technically, he's on another planet, but I wasn't really going to tell you that, but I just did so... nevermind."

"Whoa, he's on another planet? How the-"

"That's irrelevant. So are you good on Lloyd?"

"Hmm..." I tap my chin, trying to find a question just to irritate her. "What's his dad's name?"

"...Kratos. Kratos Aurion."

"Kratos?" I pause, trying to remember. Sounds kind of... "It sounds like crotch-"

"Gawd, Yuan, grow up!" she exclaims, putting her head in her hands. I watch her for a moment, highly amused. Suddenly, she sits up straight, mouth hanging open slightly. "Never thought I'd say that to _you_..." She trails off, staring me in the eyes, a blush growing on her face.

I clear my throat and she looks away, startled. "Ah... anyways..."

"Who's next?"

"Colette Brunell. Former Chosen of Sylvarant, she's a little... _blunt_, you know- not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed-"

"So she and Lloyd must fit together nicely then."

"They do, actually. Boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Oh... gawd."

Sheena takes a sip of water. "Haha, yeah. Colette's also pretty klutzy and will name any stray dog she sees. She's blonde," she adds, seeing the look on my face. "So that's Colette."

"Alright. Clear on the ditz."

She rolls her eyes, but smiles anyways. "Hmm... well I guess Genis and Raine would be next-"

"Sheena! Yuan!"

From the nervous look on Sheena's face, I can tell instantly that the two silver-haired half-elves approaching us are guests at the reunion party.

"_Raine_!" Sheena cries, throwing an arm around the woman. "How nice to see you and _your brother Genis_!" She pats the boy on the head, smiling knowingly at me. I stand up and begin to say something, but Sheena shoves me back into the booth.

Raine raises an eyebrow at me, but doesn't say anything. Instead, she turns to Sheena. "So what are you two doing in a restaurant together?" she asks, smirking slightly. Sheena blushes.

"Ah, well..."

"Are you guys on a _date_?!?" Genis exclaims, glancing at me with a horrified expression on his face. I crosses my arms.

"Maybe so, what's it to you, brat?" I snap. Seems like the thing to say. The boy scowls.

"I see you're the same as ever," he mutters. Sheena bit her lip and smiled nervously.

"Uh-huh, exactly the same as ever," she murmurs, teeth clenched.

"So you _are_ on a date, then?" Raine asks. Obviously unsure of what to say, and unwilling to let me answer again, she just nods. Raine smirks.

"Well, we'll leave you two alone then," she says, dragging Genis away. "See you at the party."

Sheena smiles and waves until they're seated at their own booth, which, unfortunately, is visible from where we're sitting. After they pick up their menus, she plops down and glares at me.

"What, it's my fault that they appeared out of nowhere?" I exclaim. She rolls her eyes, tapping her fingers on the tabletop.

"_No_, but you could've kept quiet about us being on a date." She's still blushing. Cute.

"The brat pointed it out."

"Yeah, well, you didn't have to respond."

"You weren't going to."

"Maybe I would've if you hadn't."

"Well, now we'll never know. If a tree falls in a forest and-"

"Ok, ok!" She waves a hand in front of my face. "No philosophy. This conversation is getting us nowhere."

"Is a table still a table if no one's looking at it?"

"Yes, now shut up and let me finish."

This is the way the rest of our date goes, Sheena explaining and then snapping at me when I ask dumb questions on purpose, and every so often she blushes and rolls her eyes at me. Once she's finished eating, I pay the bill (amid many protests, but hey- even if I didn't eat, I asked her out in the first place) and we wave to Genis and Raine, then exit the restaurant and stroll along the streets. It's only 7:30 in the evening. One and a half hours left.

We walk along Grand Avenue, through the park, past the Coliseum, towards the castle and then take a sharp turn north and stroll into the nobles quarters. Sheena, whose left hand is gently laced through mine, points to the hugest building I have ever seen (excluding the castle, obviously).

"That's Zelos' mansion," she says. I furrow my brow.

"I thought the guy lived alone."

"Well, he used to. I think his sister lives with him now."

"Didn't know he had a sister."

"She was locked in an abbey most of her life."

"Oh." That would probably be why.

We stand like that for a moment, staring at the mansion, squinting at it through a dark that not even streetlights can penetrate very well, hands lightly entwined. After a while, I bring up something that's been on my mind for a while now."

"...Sheena?"

"Hmm?"

"... what's a Seraph?"

She gets very quiet all of a sudden, and looks me over with an almost pitying expression, quite like the one Isaiah gave me when I asked him about Mithos the Hero. She hesitates, and I don't think it's because she doesn't want to tell me. I think it's because she doesn't know how to say it, like it's something I wouldn't understand.

"I think," she says finally, "that that's a question you need to save until... later."

I furrow my brow, disappointed. "What if it's brought up tonight at the party?"

She bits her lips. "Look... Yuan. About the whole party thing, right? These people aren't stupid. OK, maybe Lloyd and Colette may not realize it at first, but Raine and Regal and Genis... and even Presea and Zelos- they're not dumb, they're going to realize something's going on with you, something weird. And that weirdness is just going to be heightened by the fact that first, we're on a date and secondly, you're actually attending the party."

There's something she's not telling me. Some crucial detail about this whole ordeal that she's left out, intentionally done so because she doesn't want me to know, not until the very end. I consider not bringing it up, but if it's something important I think I have a right to know.

"What are you hiding from me?" I say softly. She stares at the ground, and lets go of my hand.

"Remember when we talked to each other outside of your apartment?"

"Yeah, go on."

"And... and how I asked you if you were going to kidnap me?"

I cross my arms. "Yeah, that freaked me out a little."

"Well... listen, don't take this the wrong way, all right?"

"For heaven's sake, what-"

"You were our enemy."

She cuts me off in the middle of our sentence, and I'm left with my mouth hanging open, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"_What?_" I exclaim. "But I thought- then why would Zelos invite me?"

She sighs. "OK, you weren't really our... _enemy_, not exactly. More like a double-agent kind of thing."

"Then why'd you say that?"

"Well, it's a fair bit more dramatic than 'double-agent', isn't it?"

I scowl. "What do you mean I was a 'double-agent'? And how would that... I thought you were just a big group of friends, having a reunion after a few years of not seeing each other. How could-"

"That's only half of it, really," Sheena says, and she sits down on the nearest bench. I don't move. I still don't know what she means, how I even fit into any of this. She takes a deep breath and continues talking, avoiding my eyes.

"See... we were... well, me and the other seven were on a sort of journey thing, and we were fighting this one organization, right? So we were enemies with that organization."

"...OK."

"There was another group, though. These people were resisting the bigger organization, and-"

"So you sided with them?"

"Well, not exactly. See, the... the Renegades, that's what they were called-"

_Renegades._

I don't hear the next sentence of her explanation, because my vision suddenly goes black for a moment, then returns to normal. I stumble backwards, blinking in the dim lamplight.

Sheena calls out, but I barely hear her. It's like I'm underwater, miles under in the deep dark of the ocean and she's on the surface, yelling for me, but her voice comes out and it's distorted behind comprehension, like she's trying to talk and blow bubbles at the same time . My field of vision is suddenly black again and then-

Back to normal.

Everything's back to normal all of a sudden- my hearing, my vision... Sheena's standing right in front of me, looking extremely concerned.

"I... I'm fine," I stutter. "Fine."

* * *

Zomg, what happened to Yuan at the end? The world may never know... (if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound???)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Tales of Symphonia. You should be very thankful that Namco has not employed me.


	7. Chap 6: A Long Expected Party

It's the moment you've all been waiting for!! Sorry about the extended period of no updating. You know, I'm back in school and everything- PLUS I just got over a nasty bout of the flu. No, not swine flu. Anyways...

* * *

**Chapter Six: A Long Expected Party**

"I get the feeling that this is a really bad idea," I mutter to Sheena as we climb the steps to Zelos' mansion. She punches me on the shoulder.

"Stop worrying, it's going to be _fine_, I promise." We stop just outside the front door and I raise my eyebrows at her.

"You can promise that? I'll bet you-"

"Shut up, I'm not betting you anything." She turns to knock on the front door. I grin and cross my arms.

"Just because you'd know I'd win."

For the last hour, Sheena and I had been sitting on a bench in the nobles' quarter as she explained to me basically what happened three years ago and why I was considered something of an enemy. It'd been fairly vague, with no names or exact details. Just something about how they were fighting an organization that took over the world or something... whatever. She didn't say anything, but I'm guessing that it was vague because she didn't want me to almost black out like I did when she mentioned the 'Renegades'. I'm just guessing that (and from what Sheena's told me this sounds about right) when I heard the word 'Renegades' it ignited something in my brain, something I'd forgotten after I lost my memory.

Sheena scowls at me and raises her hand to knock, but before she can move any further, the door is flung open to reveal none other than... you guessed it- Zelos Wilder, complete with formal outfit and braid.

"Sheena, my voluptuous hunny!" he cries, attempting to embrace her in a hug. Unfortunately for him, she manages to smack him upside the head before he gets too close.

"Pervert!" she yells, glowering- then stops suddenly, flushes and turns to me. Zelos, noticing this sudden change in attitude, ceases his muttering ("so harsh"), glances up and is suddenly bearing a wide grin again.

"Yuan!" he squeals, rushing forward and hugging me around the waist. "I knew you would come, I knew it!"

Choking, I push him away and stick my finger in his face. "You do that again," I threaten, "and I'll- I'll-"

"Judgment him?" Sheena supplies, giving me an exasperated look.

"That's right, I'll Judgment you! Wait... what-"

"Yuan does not do Judgment, Sheena. That would be Kratos." A small girl with pink pigtails appears in the doorway, dressed in a... er, interesting (for want of a better word) formal outfit. "He performs Indignation."

"Presea!" Sheena exclaims, and she moves forward to greet the younger girl. I poke Zelos in between his eyes.

"That's right, I'll Indignation- indignate- no, it would be indignite, but that's not-"

Zelos ducks out of the way of my finger and follows Sheena and Presea into the mansion. "Geez, get your spells right, old man."

"Old man?" I bellow. "Who're you calling old man? I'm barely even older than-"

"Yuan, move along now!" Sheena rushes back out onto the porch and drags me inside as I glower at Zelos, who only snickers.

Once we're all inside the mansion, the atmosphere becomes considerably more awkward. Apparently, Presea, Sheena and I are the only ones who have arrived. Zelos ushers us into what he calls the 'party room' (and then Presea says "Wahoo" and everyone laughs and I'm just like "WTF mates?"), which is complete with refreshment table and music player, which is absolutely _blasting_ music, probably as loud as it can go. And it's that horrid 'rock-n-roll' nonsense, too. I don't know about the rest of the world, but the music these days is absolutely appalling. The only radio station I've ever listened to is what they call 'Oldies'. Whatever- it's much better than this crap.

Zelos leaves because the doorbell rings again, so I'm left in the party room with Sheena and Presea, who is clutching a teddy bear like it's her lifeline or something. If what Sheena told me about this girl is true (mostly that she's sort of like a robot), then I'm freaked out already.

Presea is staring at me, her eyes almost emotionless- but not quite. There's something in them, a little spark of something that is giving me the creeps. Her eyebrows are furrowed- she's looks suspicious. Probably not a good thing, given the circumstances. Sheena's next to me, and we're all just looking around at each other, though not nearly as intently as Presea.

A loud scream issues from the front door, and then probably a million "I'm sorry"s and then another million "Don't apologize, you dork"s and _another_ million "It's alright, my cute little angel"s. Presea and Sheena glance at each other, both grinning slightly. I furrow my brow.

"Lloyd and Colette," Sheena whispers to me. I frown. Heavens forbid. Sheena's told me some ah... _interesting _tales about the couple.

While we're waiting for Zelos to return with Lloyd and Colette, Sheena manages to start a conversation. She turns to Presea and says, "So, um... where's Regal? I thought you guys uh... work together or... something." Her voice trails off at the end as if she's not sure where she's going with that sentence.

Presea takes her eyes off me for one moment to glance at Sheena while she answers the question. "He's going to be late," she says in a light voice. "There is a fireworks event in Altamira tonight and, as president of the Lezarano Company, he is required to at least attend the beginning of the ceremony."

"Oh," Sheena says. "OK... so he'll be here then."

"Yes. In about an hour."

"Guess who's here!"

The party room door bursts open and Zelos, Lloyd and Colette all stumble inside. The minute I see the brunet and the blonde, I furrow my brow and stare at them. Hmm... they're familiar- but not from before I lost my memory, I know I've seen them somewhere recently.

"Mr. Yuan!" Colette chirps, bouncing over to where I'm standing. I flinch and don't try to hide it. "We didn't know you were coming!"

"Yeah, I'm surprised," Lloyd says as he moves towards me too. I frown. I'm cornered. "It's been a while since we've seen you." Suddenly, Colette skips off to go talk to Presea and Sheena, who has migrated over there. "So, uh..."

Lloyd stands a good distance away from me and seems to be quite tense. Wonder why...? Sheena said we get along alright...

"You heard from Dad lately?" Lloyd asks me. Wait... _what_?!?

"Huh?" I say, before I can help myself. "I mean- uh..."

"You know, Kratos," he adds, then smiles sheepishly. "I guess you're not used to hearing people call him 'Dad'. But have you heard from him?"

"Oh, uh... yeah," I lie. "Yeah... he's uh... he's doing great. Swell, actually."

Lloyd furrows his brow. "He said that?"

"Uh..."

"Seems like a kind of un-Kratos-ish thing to say... 'swell', hmm..."

"Hey Lloyd!" Sheena manages to extract herself from the very intelligent conversation that Colette is holding and come to my rescue.

"Oh hey Sheena!"

The two embrace, and start to chat animatedly. I cross my arms. Glad I came to this party.

"Enjoying yourself, old man?"

Zelos creeps up beside me, and I glare at him. "Would you stop calling me 'old-'"

"Face it, Yuan," he says, stretching his arms over his head. "I'm calling you that from now on and nothing can stop me."

"How about if I Indignate- indignite- Indignation- judgment-"

"Cast Indignation on him?" a woman's voice ask.

Zelos and I both turn and see Raine standing near us, looking highly amused. The redhead gasps and leaps forward to hug her, screaming, "My ultra cool gorgeous beauty!" Needless to say, she smacks him.

"Owch..."

"I thought you would've learned by now, Zelos."

"Owie... how did you even get in here, anyways?"

"Sebastian let us in."

"Us...? Oh, the brat's here too, isn't he?"

"He has a name, Zelos."

Ignoring the next obnoxious comment that Zelos makes, Raine turns to me, looking highly amused but a little... worried, I guess. What is with this woman?

"So how was your date, Yuan?" she asks, and immediately Zelos decides that his head wound is better and gossip is much more important.

"DATE?!?" he shrieks, and I cover my ears, swearing at the top of my lungs.

"Zelos, shut the fu-"

"Yuan, there are children in this-"

"My ears are bleeding, woman, I don't give a damn about the children-"

"Just because you're almighty with your amazing hearing doesn't mean you can-"

"I'll do whatever I damn want-"

"WHO'D YOU GO ON A DATE WITH?!?"

"ZELOS, SHUT THE FU-"

Raine clamps her hands over my and Zelos' mouths and the room is instantly silent, save the radio. Everyone else is staring at us, perturbed expressions on their faces. Raine smiles through gritted teeth, looking very strained.

"Carry on!" she says in a falsely sweet voice.

"What the heck was _that _about?" Genis asks, apparently not getting the memo.

"Nothing," Raine snaps, "Now go back to your- EW!"

She pulls both of her palms away, looking appalled, and wipes them on my cape.

"Hey!" I exclaim. "Why're you using my-"

"It's your _spit_, you licked my-" Raine suddenly cuts herself off with a huge gasp and she clasps the palm that I licked to get her hand off my mouth.

"I only licked one of them, he licked the other one!" I protest, pointing at Zelos, who's snickering. It occurs to me that Colette and Genis are still watching us, but I'm kind of occupied at the moment, since Raine has decided she's going to shove her hand in my mouth.

"MMMM!" She pushes me against the wall and extracts her hand, examining it carefully and cackling with what appears to be glee.

"Fascinating!" she exclaims, still laughing madly. As I spit and choke on the side, Raine pulls a vial out of her pocket and taps her hand on the side of it. A small portion of my spit runs down into the tube.

"What- what the hell was that?" I cough, turning back to look at her with wide-eyed. She grins wildly.

"Seraph saliva," she says excitedly, and I choke again, only this time it's because _it's that word again_. "Perfect for my research!"

"What kind of research are you doing that requires saliva from a Seraph?" Zelos asks curiously, then winks at me. "Maybe Yuan'll be willing to donate other bodily fluids for the sake of science."

Instead of acting appalled like any normal person would, Raine gasps and narrows her eyes at me. "Seraph sperm would be excellent to have..." she mutters, looking totally serious. While Zelos roars with laughter, I'm freaking out because a) Raine's ready to dissect me for my _sperm_ and b) I still have no idea what a Seraph is.

"OK," I say loudly, trying to come up with an excuse to leave, "Uh... I have to uh... use the restroom, so uh-"

"REALLY?!?" Raine exclaims, her eyes sparkling. Zelos, who is about dying from laughter manages to hold it back for a moment and makes a very puzzling comment.

"I thought Seraphs didn't have to use the john," he laughs, grinning. "But maybe I'm wrong... what are you gonna do, Raine, make him pee in a cup?"

_WHAT THE HELL IS A SERAPH?!? _

"Uh, yeah, bye!" I say, then dash over to where Sheena's standing near the refreshment table. She glances at me with an alarmed expression on her face.

"What'd they do, start talking about something you've got no idea about?" she asks. I shake my head, then stop.

"Well, sort of. Raine uh... shoved her fist in my mouth-"

Five feet away, Genis spits out his drink, spraying Lloyd with sparkling grape juice. "She shoved her WHAT in your mouth?!?" he yells, staring at me, horrified.

I roll my eyes. "Fist, genius." I turn back to Sheena. "Then she took my spit and put it in a test tube and pretty much asked me if she could have a sperm sample."

At this, Sheena bursts out laughing so hard that she almost falls over. I glare at her, crossing my arms impatiently. Once she's done, she straightens up, still grinning and yells across the room, "Raine, no dissecting anyone!"

I don't listen for her response and look back at Sheena. "You have to tell me a Seraph is," I hiss. The amused look on her face immediately falls. "That's what Raine was talking about, she said, and I quote, "Seraph saliva is perfect for my research."

"That when she asked you for a sperm sample?"

"Shut up, alright, just tell me!"

Sheena sighs, rubbing her temples. "I... I'm probably not the right one to tell you this, Yuan."

"You're the only one who knows about my memory loss."

Behind me, a glass shatters suddenly. I whip around and see Lloyd, who's gaping at me, speechless.

"M-memory loss?" he asks, stunned. Sheena steps forward, biting her lip.

"Look, Lloyd-"

It suddenly dawns on him and he can almost not stop himself from grinning. "Oh my goddess- no way- you- I-" There's a moment of silence between the three of us, Sheena and I both looking nervous and Lloyd's face completely unreadable.

Then he bursts out laughing and says, "That's the best joke I've ever heard!"

Sheena and I glance at each other, then back at Lloyd, who's practically rolling on the ground.

"How does he figure that that's a joke?" I whisper to Sheena. "We weren't even talking to him."

She rolls her eyes. "He's Lloyd, that's how."

"Even if it was a joke," I mutter, "it wouldn't be that funny."

"Should we tell him?" Sheena asks. I shrug.

Lloyd looks up, suddenly. "That was a joke, right?" he asks, weakly, holding his stomach.

I look over at Sheena, who apparently is determined to not make eye contact with me. I sigh and say slowly, "No, Lloyd, that... was not a joke. I really did lose my memory."

He gawks at me, but that's not the worst of it. Unfortunately, the radio decides that as soon as I began to utter that sentence, it's going to be a jerk and change songs, leaving a silence just long enough for me to finish the word "memory" before the next song starts.

Meaning, everyone hears my confession.

Except Regal, who walks in five seconds too late, and says, "Did I miss something?"

No, Regal. No. You didn't miss anything. That is exactly why everyone is staring at me like I have three heads.

* * *

That has to be like the lamest party in the history of lame parties. All they do is stand around, listen to music and shove their fists in each other's mouths. Honestly.

Yes, I stole this chapter title from The Lord of the Rings. That being said...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia, but if I did then the Raine-Yuan-dissection scene would occur in the game. I also do not own the title "A Long Expected Party" which belongs to J.R.R. Tolkein.


	8. Chap 7: Seraph

**Chapter Seven: Seraph**

Oh, _shit_.

The entire room is staring at me, mouths half open and eyes either narrowed or widened. Half of them look ready to drop into a dead faint, and the other half looks like they're about to have the same reaction as Lloyd. Sheena is still standing next to me, glancing around and nervously biting her lip.

The silence (nevermind the radio) only lasts a moment and breaks when Regal steps in, completely unaware of the situation, and says, "Did I miss something?"

"No, nothing at all, but by the way I lost my memory" would be my sarcastic answer, but then everyone decided to all react at once.

Zelos, of course, busts out laughing and is immediately smacked by Raine, who then exclaims that she absolutely has to dissect me (or something like that). Lloyd is still gaping and Genis is stuttering in disbelief, while Colette almost starts to cry yelling "Mr. Yuan, I'm so sorry!" Meanwhile, Presea just blinks and turns to Sheena, saying "So you weren't lying."

"Wait, you told her?" I exclaim, rounding on Sheena. She flinches and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"She already knew, Yuan, she guessed it," she replies. I cross my arms, still a little pissed that I'd been found it. Zelos stops laughing and clears his throat.

"You know, I thought something was going on with you," he says, stroking his chin. "You did seem a little... I don't know, friendly?"

I turn to Zelos, scowling. "Friendly? Just what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Zelos shrugs. "Well, you just weren't acting like yourself. You were too... I don't know, not Renegade-ish and all solemn and whatever. Wait, you lost your memory, how do you-"

"And you were on a date with Sheena," Genis adds, smirking. Lloyd chokes.

"What the-"

"Brat, why'd you have to bring that up?"

Regal's still looking very confused. "He- you lost your-"

"Memory," I finish. "Yes, I did."

There's a silence, with the radio blasting loud party music of course, and everyone stares at me, which creeps me out a little bit. Just a little.

"But you know who we are," Raine says, her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, you remembered us," Colette pipes up. I glance at Sheena.

"Er, not exactly..."

She sighs, and leans against the table. "OK, so here's the story- I ran into Yuan yesterday morning, and when I talked to him he acted a little... weird, but still seemed like himself. Later that day, I met Zelos in the square, surrounded by 'hunnies' of course-"

"Hey, my hunnies are-"

SMACK. "Shut up and let me finish."

"Harsh..."

"So, _anyways_, Zelos told me that Yuan was going to be at the party. Earlier today I was in the library, because you know, I've just been sitting around in my inn so I was looking for a book, and I saw Yuan. He was ah..." Sheena takes a nervous peek at me. "He was reading about Mithos."

The mention of the ancient hero has a strange effect on these people. They all furrow their brows and exchange mystified glances. And, yet again, I receive many sympathetic looks.

"Why was-" Genis starts, but Sheena cuts him off.

"I'm getting there, just listen. So I went over to him and asked him about the party, blah blah blah, and he said that he couldn't go. So I'm like 'well, why not' and he's like 'I lost my memory.' So you know, after I get over the shock, I uh, managed to convince him that he should go to the party, even if he had to pretend like he knew you guys.

"I also asked him why he was reading about Mithos, and uh- can I, can I share this?"

I gave the gesture for her to continue.

"Alright, so he told me that before he came here, he'd lived in Flanoir and one of his friends there-"

"Friends, right."

"Shut up, Zelos."

"What? I'm just-"

SMACK. "Quiet interrupting and listen!"

"Thank you Raine. So one of his friends in Flanoir had told him to look up Mithos, and that's what he was doing when I found him. Uh," she glanced at me, "you may not understand this next part."

"...Alright."

Sheena crossed her arms and hesitated before saying, "I think the friend that he spoke about was a former Renegade."

There it is again. _Renegade_. Add it to the list of "Mystery Words That People Keep Using Around Me." Together with Seraph and Wahoo.

Raine furrowed her brow. "A Renegade? Hmm... that would make sense. Yuan, how long have you known that person in question?"

"Uh, eleven months, as far as I know."

"And how long has it been since you ah... lost your memory?"

"Eleven months. And fifteen days." I think. I don't know for sure, I've sort of lost track since coming to Meltokio.

Raine nods. "Hmm... so you've known this person since you've lost your memory."

Isn't that what I just said? "Yes."

"That leads me to another question- though I suppose I should save it for after I hear the whole story. Carry on."

Sheena takes a breath and then continues. "So then he asked me out-"

"Wait, _what?!?_" Colette and Lloyd both scream at the same time, but Zelos gasps and claps his hand.

"So _that's _who you went on a date with! Augh, Raine wouldn't tell me!" He tries to nudge me in the ribs, but I punch him in the face first. Hard.

"AW! NOT THE FACE!" He crumples over, holding his nose, but he isn't bleeding so no one bothers to take a closer look, although Lloyd and Genis do have to hold Colette back. Sheena rolls her eyes.

"The next person who interrupts me gets attacked by Undine," she threatens. The room falls silent, except me. "So, he asked me-"

"Wait, what?"

Sheena, teeth clenched, turns and glares death at me. "Didn't I say," she growls, "that the next person who interrupted would get attacked by Undine?"

"OK, well, I don't who know who Undine is." There's a silence, and the look on Sheena's face immediately changes from anger to sympathy. "But if you want to sic him, her, whatever on me anyways-"

"No, no, just... just shut up!"

I shut my mouth and lean against the table, listening. Everyone stares, impressed.

"You've got him well-trained, Sheena," Regal says with a smile. I scowl and Sheena blushes.

"Regal? Undine is waiting."

"No thank you. Please continue."

"_Thank _you. As I have tried to say about fifty million times before now, he asked me out, saying that he'd come to the party if I went out with him."

Zelos opens his mouth, but quickly closes it after remembering Sheena's threat.

"So uh, we went out and I gave him basic details on you guys, like..." She pauses, biting her lip. "Like just stuff that he would know about you guys if he hadn't lost his memory. And then I told him the... basics, I guess, of what happened on the world regeneration journey.

"You didn't tell me it was called the world regeneration journey," I say, crossing my arms. She glares at me.

"Yeah, I purposely stopped using names after the little 'Renegade' incident," she snaps. I roll my eyes.

"What was the 'Renegade' incident?" Lloyd asks. Sheena looks at me.

"Whatever," I mutter. "I'm going to go... uh... take a walk."

Before anyone can object, I dash out of the room and end up back in the hallway. Clueless of where to go, I spot a door leading to a balcony and quickly step out into the night. Meltokio is lit up, small specks of light dotting the sky everywhere I turn.

I slide down to the patio floor with my back against the stone wall, eyes closed and muttering under my breath. It was a mistake. Coming to this party, a huge mistake. I probably would be a lot better off right now if I had just stayed at home, but obviously that didn't happen. And look where I am now.

I'm sitting on the ground with my knees drawn up to my chin, arms crossed over my legs and my hair covering my face ten minutes later when the patio door slides open. I glance over to see who it is- for a moment I can't tell because the balcony lights aren't turned on, but then she steps into view and I see it's Sheena. She glances at me, then sits down next to me with her legs straight out in front of her. She's shivering already, so I take off my cape and wrap it around her shoulders. I don't say anything and neither does she, but she does gently grab one of my hands and squeeze it.

It's a while before either one of us speaks, but eventually I look up. "Did you tell them?" I say softly. She doesn't look at me.

"About the Renegade thing?"

"Mmhmm."

"Yeah, I did."

Silence falls over us again, but there's a resounding crash from inside. I wince, sensitive hearing and all, and glance over my shoulder at the door. No one's coming, but there are another million "I'm sorry"s and "Don't apologize, you dork"s echoing from the hall.

"It sucks, right?" Sheena says suddenly. I glance at her, but don't say anything- just hold her hand tighter. "It sucks to not be able to remember anything."

"Not really," I say as casually as I can. "I mean- it's not as bad as it seems. I don't know what I'm missing because well- I... can't remember it."

"But I told you," she whispers, letting go of my hand and wrapping my cape around herself tighter. "I told you what happened three years ago. About-"

"But that doesn't really matter. All you told me was that you had to release some seals or whatever so that the bad guy wouldn't... take over the world or something."

"He'd already taken over the world."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know that."

She finally looks up and stares at me with narrowed eyes. "Hmm..." she mutters. "Didn't you say that the word 'Renegade' sounded familiar?"

"Well, after the first time that I heard it, yeah it did."

"Does it..." she hesitates, then continues. "Does it bring anything to mind when you think of it? 'Renegade', I mean."

I pause, concentrating. Finally, I say, "Uniform." Sheena looks up, surprised. "It reminds me of a uniform."

"What kind of uniform?"

"I don't know. Sort of military-ish."

Thinking of the word 'Renegade', of military and of uniform reminds me of Esther, how she saluted me the morning I left for Meltokio. She addressed me as 'sir'...

Sheena smiles, and scoots closer to me. We're silent for another moment and then she asks, "How'd you lose your memory?"

I purse my lips. "I uh...I slipped."

She stares at me. "You slipped."

"Yes."

There's a small silence, then- "On what?"

"Uh... ice."

"...You slipped on ice."

"Yes."

"And you-?"

"Hit my head."

"Hit your head, and lost your memory."

"That's what the doctors told me."

She stares at me for a fraction of a second, then bursts out laughing.

"Hey!" I exclaim. "It's not funny!"

"Sorry," she laughs. "It's just... well... you're the last person I would expect to slip on ice."

"So what kind of person was I?" I ask, crossing my arms.

She stops laughing, and glances up at me. "What do you mean?" she says, looking uncertain.

"I keep hearing the word 'Seraph', and I've deduced that whatever it is, I am one. So what is it?"

Sheena bites her lip, grimacing. "Well... I guess... I guess you should know. Since you already know about... most things." She clears her throat. "For starters, I'd like you to know that yes, you are indeed a Seraph."

"So what is it?"

"Well... this is going to sound weird."

"I think I can handle it."

"...an angel."

Maybe I can't handle it.

"I don't think I'm an angel."

"Look, you wanted me to tell you, right?"

I frown. "Well... yes, but-"

"Then listen."

"But... an _angel_? Wha-"

"A Seraph is the highest rank of angel there is, second only to the villain of the organization we were fighting, a villain named Yggd-"

_Yggdrasill_.

The word echoes in my skull, completed in my mind before Sheena finishes saying it.

"- the leader of Cr-"

_Cruxis_.

It happens again- my brain's finished the word before Sheena has. I'm staring at her, eyes watering and I have that feeling again, the same feeling I experienced when she said 'Renegade' for the first time. I'm underwater, submerged, and her voice is distant, far-away.

Then-

I open my mouth and utter one word.

"_Martel._"

And then the world goes black.

* * *

Zomg, I killed Yuan.

Just kidding. Wouldn't be much of a point to the story after this if I killed the main character.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia, but if I did then not only would we have dance-offs and a side quest called "Kratos' Birthday", but there would also be an alternate ending where Mithos goes crazy, kills Raine, then kills himself, so Genis takes over the world to try and revive Raine and he also tries to turn everybody into Katz, and Lloyd and Colette are his two... Katzaphim. Like Seraphim, only not. That would be epic win.


	9. Chap 8: Recovering

**Chapter Eight: Recovering**

"Yuan..."

_He sat on the floor, huddled in a ball by the wall, shaking ever so slightly, emerald eyes shining with tears. Soft blue hair hung in front of his face, giving his features a shadowy expression. From the next room, he heard a terrified woman's shrieks, screaming and denying everything._

_"No!" she yelled, and there was a loud thud. A man, human by the sound of it, laughed bitterly. "No, I don't- I don't have a son!"_

_The boy flinched, tears streaming down his cheeks. Another thump echoed from the room, and the woman become silent suddenly._

_"Tell us where he is," one of the humans breathed, "or we will slit your throat." _

_There was a long silence, then she yelled, "Yuan, run!"_

_The boy jumped up at the same time that the door flung open- a human man stood in the doorway, a knife gripped tightly in his hand. The young half-elf stumbled back towards the open window, the man advancing on him. A shriek echoed from the other room. The first man grumbled, "That's why you don't mess around with elves, wench!"_

_

* * *

_

"Yuan, wake up..."

* * *

_The sergeant looked the boy up and down- he couldn't be more than fourteen. "You say you're an elf," he said in a gruff voice. Determined to not look afraid, the boy nodded._

_"Yes sir," he said in a quavering voice. The sergeant narrowed his eyes._

_"You know what I think, elf?" He spat the last word, leaning forward so that their noses were touching. "I think that's a downright lie."_

_The boy quivered, but did not say anything._

_"How old are you, elf?"_

_"F-fifteen, sir." That too, was a lie. It'd only been eight years since his mother had died- he was only thirteen. _

_"Lucky for you," the sergeant continued, "we're running low on snipers. Tethe'alla seems to know where all ours are hidden. So as of today, you're Private Ka'fai."_

_

* * *

_

"C'mon, damn it, Yuan..."

* * *

_The auburn-haired human glanced at him. "You should tell her," he commented, trying to sound casual. _

_Startled, the half-elf glanced up. "W-what do you mean?" he stuttered. "Tell- tell who-"_

_"Tell Martel," his friend replied, "that you're in love with her. You've been staring at her all day, Yuan."_

_Yuan gazed miserably at the green-haired woman ahead of them, staff clutched in her hand, laughing with her brother. After a moment, Yuan muttered, "Mithos would kill me."_

_"Only if you kissed her in front of him."_

_"Kissed who?" Mithos exclaimed, overhearing Kratos' last sentence. The two men glanced at each other._

_"Uh..."_

_

* * *

_

"Waking up sometime in the next century would be nice, Yuan..."

* * *

_"Yuan." _

_The half-elf didn't move, just sat on the edge of the bed staring at the wall, his bloodstained back facing the human. Brilliant lavender wings had sprouted between his shoulder blades, and the human sported similar wings, though in a turquoise blue. _

_"Snap out of it."_

_Yuan glanced over his shoulder, past his wings and stared at Kratos with bloodshot eyes. "I can't cry anymore," he muttered, turning away again. Kratos frowned._

_"That's probably a good thing." He paused, then went on. "All you've done for the last week is sob."_

_The half-elf made a motion as if to get up, but stopped midway. "She's gone," he muttered numbly, dropping back onto the bed. "She's gone..."_

_Kratos turned to face Mithos, who was standing in the doorway, tear tracks still fresh on his face. Magnificent rainbow wings had appeared only days ago, and with them had come the idea of an age of lifeless beings..._

_

* * *

_

"Wake up, dude, you're gonna miss the New Year!"

"Yeah, like that's going to help him, Zelos."

* * *

_The two seraphim stared out into space, standing on the edge of Derris-Kharlan, both of them silent and stone-faced. After a moment-_

_"He's crazy," the first blurted out. The second cast him an exasperated glance._

_"He also had very good hearing, Yuan."_

_Yuan ignored him. "He can't actually think that this is going to work. There's so many ways that this can go wrong, so many potential flaws in his plan. You can't possibly believe him, Kratos?"_

_Kratos was silent for a moment, glaring solemnly at his companion. "I will not say that I have complete faith in the plan itself," he said finally, "but my loyalty remains with Lord Yggdrasill."_

_Yuan sneered. "Lord, eh? That's what it is now. Lord Spandex, Queen of the lifeless beings. Some Lord he is."_

_

* * *

_

"Can he hear us, Professor?"

"I'm not sure... and you hardly can call me that anymore, Lloyd, you're almost twenty-one..."

"Wow, bud! Soon you'll be able to drink!"

"Don't encourage him, Zelos."

"Huh? Drink what?"

"...nevermind, Colette."

* * *

_"My Lord, the Renegades have succeeded in assassinating the Chosen."_

_Yggdrasill delivered a swift kick to the angel, who went flying and slammed into the wall. Kratos, standing nearby, winced._

_"Those damn Renegades!" Yggdrasill muttered, clenching his fist. He glared at Kratos, as if it was his fault. "Yuan was supposed to be protecting the Chosen!" he bellowed, smiting a passing angel. _

_Another angel floated into the room and bowed deeply. Yggdrasill stared at him with loathing. "What is it now?" he yelled. Then angel did not move._

_"Lord Yuan has returned from Sylvarant, my Lord," he said. On cue, Yuan stumbled into the throne room, looking too cheerful for Yggdrasill's liking. _

_"You!" he bellowed, and at once Yuan stopped in his tracks. _

_"Yes, my Lord?" He put as much emphasis as possible on the last word, purposely sounding insolent._

_"You were sent to protect the Chosen, not to get her killed!" Yggdrasill glared at Yuan who was trying his best not to grin, despite the circumstance he was currently in. _

_

* * *

_

"Is he going to be alright, Professor?"

"I believe so... and the same goes for you, Colette, there's no need to call me that anymore."

I've no idea where I am, but when I open my eyes I see a few very familiar faces surrounding me.

"He lives!" Zelos calls, grinning broadly. I reach up to punch him, but my vision's a little blurry so I miss.

"Not you guys," I moan. "Please, not you guys..."

Raine ignores my last comment and immediately begins to question me. "Are you alright?" she asks. "How are you feeling? What do you remember? How-"

I sit up and push them all away from me, glancing around at the room. I don't recognize it. "Where am I?" I question, looking back at Zelos and Raine, who are accompanied by Irving and the Chosen girl. They stare around at each other, then finally Raine answers.

"Zelos's mansion," she says, sounding reluctant. I swing my legs off the bed, my vision now back to normal. A quick glance at a clock on the wall tells me that it's about one in the morning. I furrow my brow.

"What am I doing at _your _house at one in the morning?" I ask suspiciously. Zelos, to my horror, waggles his eyebrows.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he replies slyly, and Raine slaps him.

"Are you hitting on me?" I exclaim, scooting away from him. He scrunches his nose.

"Ew, no!"

"Well that's certainly what it sounded like!"

"Am I to assume," Raine says loudly, interrupting, "that you have regained your memory?"

"I- what?" I ask blankly. "Regained- my-"

Raine's staring at me intently. "When was the last time you saw any of us?"

"Does right now count?"

"Don't make me smack you."

"Don't threaten me, woman!"

"Please!" the Chosen (Sylvarant) exclaims, cutting across Raine's outraged response. "Please, everyone, stop fighting!" She turns to me. "Mr. Yuan-"

I flinch, and don't try to hide it.

"-when was the last time you saw us?"

I rack my brain. Hmm... I don't even know, it was before... I think... "Before Kratos left for Derris-Kharlan," I say. "Now can you all please get out of my way?"

They're all staring at me, gaping. "_What_?" I snap. "Look, great to see you and all, I know we're so friendly, but-"

"Just sit down," Raine says finally, cutting me off. "There's... there's a lot we need to talk about."

I furrow my brow. "Like what?"

The four of them exchange glances. "Well," Raine starts, "for starters, you're at Zelos' house because he was having a reunion party."

"I don't remember coming to a-"

"I'm getting there, just listen. We were at the reunion when we found out that... well... we found out that you'd lost your memory."

I blink at her. "I'm sorry?"

"You had lost your memory."

"..._what_?!"

Raine sighs and I cross my arms, glaring at her. She looks up. "About eleven months ago, you... er..._slipped_ and hit your head... resulting in memory loss."

I continue to glare at her.

She crosses her arms. "Earlier today- well, last night actually- Sheena mentioned the words 'Yggdrasill' and 'Cruxis.' And well... you blacked out."

I narrow my eyes. "I blacked out."

"Yes."

"...am I supposed to believe that?"

"Yes."

Scowling, I stand up. "This is ridiculous. I don't have time for-"

"Wait, so you don't remember anything?" Irving cries.

"What are you talking about? I remember everything," I snap. "Now get out of my way."

"No, I mean- you don't remember the reunion party at all?"

"Well obviously _not_. Now, move before I shove this ball of electricity up your-"

"Wait!" The Chosen girl steps in front of me, obviously forgetting that once upon a time I was trying to kill her. "Mr. Yuan, please wait!" she says, clasping her hands together. I glare at her. "Just listen to what the Professor has to say, please!"

"I have listened, girl. Now get the hell out-"

"Don't talk to Colette like that!" Irving roars, pulling out his swords. I round on him, whip out my sword and pin him against the wall. He struggles, but is no match for me in these conditions. Why do I only have a crappy sword? Where is Swallow?

"Oy!" Zelos calls, and his sword is out as well. "Let him go, man!"

The door bangs open and the little pigtailed girl steps in. She glances around- I've got Irving up against the wall and we're all armed and ready to fight. Bit of an awkward scene to step in on.

"We heard yelling," she says simply, stepping further in the room. "What's going on?"

Scowling, I let Irving go and glare at him, stowing my weapon. Zelos lowers his sword and puts it away, but Irving keeps his blades at the ready, furiously glowering at me. Raine narrows her eyes at me.

"Are you going to listen to us?" she asks in a low voice. Pigtails is staring into my soul- I hate that.

"Fine," I growl. "But this had better be good." I feel like adding "or the Irving boy gets it" but somehow I don't think that'll fly well.

* * *

Man. Kind of a uh... change in attitude for Yuan.

BTW, the last flashback technically isn't something that he would remember, seeing as he only comes in about halfway through but WHO CARES. Not me.

_And…_ It's my sweet sixteen!!! I'm very happy. :D

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia. Or the Irving boy gets it.

P.S.: Yes, I realize that my disclaimer made no sense.


	10. Chap 9: To The Renegade Base We Go!

Yuan is very bad with names in this chapter, and comes up with insulting and racist nicknames instead. So in case you can't figure it out:

Lloyd- Irving

Colette- the Chosen girl

Genis- the brat

Sheena- Mizuho

Presea- Pigtails

He calls Zelos, Raine and Regal by their names though.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: To The Renegade Base We Go **

The room is silent.

We're in the sitting room of Zelos's house- "we" being Zelos, Mizuho, Irving, the Chosen girl and myself. Raine, Regal, Pigtails and the brat have already left, so Mizuho and the narcissist had to explain the situation to me. Apparently (though Raine had already told me this) I'd lost my memory while I was living in Flanoir. So after that, Mizuho says eleven months went by and I had no idea who I was. I don't really believe any of this but, logically, it could be true. It explains why I was at Zelos' house at one in the morning. Or maybe I came to the party with my memory still intact, got tremendously drunk and they decided to play a cruel practical joke on me. I don't think that they hate me that much, though.

The Chosen girl also mentioned that while I had lost my memory I went on a date with Mizuho.

I managed to refrain from killing her.

Zelos is stirring a cup of tea, whistling and has been doing so for the last five minutes while I sit in silence and confusion, trying to sort out the truth from the lies. Irving and the Chosen girl are having some sort of straight-face contest, which is turning into an epic fail all around. Mizuho is staring into space, a cup of hot chocolate dangerously close to spilling all over the floor in her hands.

I should probably say something.

"..." I open my mouth, but for once nothing comes to mind. No one notices either.

I should probably also learn these people's names, seeing as the only one I know is the narcissist's.

"So Yuan," Zelos says finally, setting down the cold cup of tea. I glare at him.

"What now?" I snap.

Zelos shrugs. "I'm just wondering, you know. What do you think about all this?"

I glare at him. "I think you're crazy."

"I'm not the one who followed Mithos for 4000 years."

My hand is on the hilt of my sword, but I manage to restrain myself yet again. Instead of retorting with a snappy comeback, I choose to remain silent. Mainly because I can't _think_ of a snappy comeback, which is a first for me. Strange, but it makes me feel weak- not having a sarcastic retort on the tip of my tongue, as well as carrying this puny sword instead of my normal Swallow.

"So what are you going to do?" Mizuho asks in a small voice, glancing at me. Her eyes are red, like she's been crying. I respond immediately, seeing as the answer should be a bit obvious.

"Return to the Renegades."

The four of them glance at each other. "You really don't believe us, do you?" Irving asks, gripping a cup of hot chocolate. I narrow my eyes and glare at him.

"...you seem very insistent on this. _No_, I don't."

Zelos rolls his eyes. "Well, you better start believing, because you're going to be in for a nasty shock once you get to the Renegade base."

I stare at him, slightly irritated by his casual manner. "And why is that?"

The Chosen of Tethe'alla sips at his cold tea, immediately spitting it out. He sits with an offended expression on his face for a moment, then turns to me and says, "They're all gone."

I scowl. "What do you mean 'they're all gone'?"

He shrugs, and sips the tea again. This time he manages to swallow it. "They're gone. Left. Not... dead or anything, I don't think, just gone."

Mizuho, Irving and the Chosen girl are all gaping at him too, so I figure it's a little OK to look confused.

"Explain," I growl, glaring at him. He rolls his eyes.

"While you were unconscious, I took a Rheaird over to the Renegade base and-"

"How did you get in?!"

He scoffs. "Are you kidding? Your front doors are always unlocked, it's easy as hell. Anyways, I went inside and I looked around for about an hour. There wasn't anyone there."

I'm silent. This is bad. This is very bad. Actually, 'bad' doesn't even begin to describe how bad this is. I'm never using the word 'bad' again.

I cross my arms and glare at the coffee table. Where could they have gone? If they're lying to me and I never lost my memory, then there's no reason they should've left. But if Irving and company are telling the truth and it really has been almost a year... then they very well could be gone. There's only one way to really find out...

I stand up abruptly and make for the door. Zelos is the only one who calls after me. "Hey, where are you going?" he yells. "I'm telling the truth!"

Completely ignoring him, I step out in the night and slam the door behind me. I take long strides towards the city gates, through the fairly empty streets of Meltokio. It's about two in the morning of New Years Day... though I still don't know what year it is. Cursing, I glance around and immediately spot a sign: _Happy New Years! Celebrate 4029! _

Well.

Last time I checked, it was very early in the year of 4028.

This almost convinces me that they're right, that they're not lying to me and I really did lose my memory, but I still have to check the Renegade Base. I hurry towards the gates.

Fairly soon, I'm standing outside the city, searching myself for a wing pack when I realize... _I don't have one_.

"Damn it."

Ten minutes later, I'm back at Zelos' mansion. I don't even bother to knock, just swing the door open and glare at him. He looks up, grinning. Irving and the Chosen girl are sitting in the same spot, thought I don't see ninja-girl anywhere.

"Missing something?" Zelos giggles, waving a wing pack in the air. I glower at him.

"Give me that before I shove this ball of electricity up your-"

"Hey, you already used that threat on me," Irving interrupts. I glare at him too, just as Zelos tosses the wing pack my way. I catch it and turn to leave.

"You know," Zelos says loudly (obnoxiously, too), "maybe we should go with."

I whirl around, bewildered. "Why the hell would I want you with me?" I growl. He shrugs, then looks at Irving and the Chosen girl. "What do you think guys, should we accompany our darling Seraph?"

"Did you just call me-"

"I don't know," Irving says slowly. "I mean..." Good, he doesn't want to come. That means the Chosen girl won't either.

"You're outvoted," I say to Zelos. "Bye." With that, I'm gone back into the empty streets. Well, not quite empty.

"Waaaaaaaaiiiiiit!"

I clench my teeth. "Damn it, why can't he just leave me _alone?!_"

Zelos throws himself out his front door, launching himself practically on top of me. I start to summon another ball of electricity, but he stumbles away. I lower my hand.

"I'm coming with you," he says proudly. I frown at him.

"Why the hell-"

"I think you need moral support."

I scowl. "I doubt that."

"Well, I'm still coming," he says defiantly, but grinning. I sigh.

"Fine. Whatever." I pause. "Do you really trust Irving and the other Chosen to leave your house in one piece while you're gone?"

"Sebastian's there, I don't think they'll do that much damage."

I don't even know who Sebastian is, but I don't argue. "Fine."

"Sheena's coming too."

I glare at him. I think Sheena's the ninja girl... the summoner, the one at the mana cannon, that's her. "Fine. Where is she?"

On cue, Sheena appears from behind Zelos, eyes still red. She gestures at Zelos.

"I think you might need some company other than _him_" is all she says. Well, honestly, I don't need company at all, but if they want to come then whatever. I examine her, then turn and head for the gates again. They follow, and immediately start bickering with each other. Well, he's flirting with her and she's yelling at him.

This is going to be fun.

* * *

Man, Yuan is such a butthead. I liked him better when he'd lost his memory.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia, but if I did then they'd sing the song "Starstrukk" by 3OH!3 sometime in the game. _STUCK... IN... MY... **HEAD!!!!**_

Maybe they'd dance too.

And then Marta and Emil would totally dance to Hannah Montana's "Ice Cream Freeze"- I hate that song, but it is addicting and gets stuck in my head so easily. Can't you just picture them dancing to that? XD


	11. Chap 10: Discoveries

**Chapter Ten: Discoveries**

"I told you it was unlocked."

"Ah, shut up."

It had only taken about an hour to fly to the Renegade Base and, sure enough, Zelos was right- the front doors were unlocked. Scowling, I lead the other two inside, deciding to head for the control room. At first, I don't notice anything strange. No one ever patrolled the first corridor of the base. It's when we come upon the first door that I become wary.

I stop abruptly, causing Sheena to bump into me. She mutters a quiet apology, but I ignore it. Instead, I glare at the door.

"It's not opening," I say bluntly. Behind me, Zelos snorts.

"Thanks for enlightening us with your wisdom, Captain Obvious," he says. Sheena chuckles as I turn and glare at the Chosen.

"Look, I didn't have to bring you with me," I growl.

"Yeah, I could've just followed you."

"I have the wing pack."

"Not anymore," Zelos says, grinning. I scowl.

"Who let _you_ have it?" I mutter, turning back to the door.

"I don't," he says, chuckling. "Sheena does."

"Yeah, well, I trust her more than I trust you." Sheena coughs and shuffles her feet. I ignore her again, unsure as to _why _she's taking this so personal. Maybe she has a crush on me. Immediately, _interesting _mental images flood my imagination and I let out a low growl, trying _very_ hard to ignore them. **(A/N: Lolz, Yuan's a perv.)**

"What's takin' so long, gramps?" Zelos calls. I grip the hilt of my sword.

"I'm trying to figure out how to open this door. Calling me insulting names isn't going to help," I respond through clenched teeth, leaning forward. This door was designed to open automatically and- now I realize that this was really bad planning- there's no way to open it manually without permanently damaging it.

"Damn it." I pause, tracing the door with one finger. "Zelos, you were here before."

"Yeah."

"How'd you get past this door?"

"I didn't." I glare at him.

"What the hell do you mean 'you didn't?" I snarl. He points to a mangled-looking door leading in the opposite direction.

"I went that way."

Scowling, I trudge over to the other door with Zelos and Sheena following me. Sheena gapes.

"Good _goddess_, Zelos, what the hell did you do to that door?"

He shrugs. "It was in my way. Obstructing my quest."

"And what would you have done if you've been set upon by Renegades as soon as you made it through to the other side?" I growl. He smiles, flinging his hair over his shoulder.

"I would've told them I was your bestest friend."

Sheena rolls her eyes. "Yeah, they definitely would've bought that one."

The door is... well, I suppose _destroyed_ is the best word. It's completely charred and there's a huge hole blasted in the middle, with pieces of the door sticking up at odd angles. I glare at Zelos.

"You owe me a new door," I say, crossing my arms. "It looks like someone shot a cannonball through it."

"I only murdered it," he jokes.

I glare at him, then turn and stare at the hole in the door. There's no way I'm fitting through this- armor and cape and all. I'm not fat.

... I don't think.

"How'd you get through there?" I ask Zelos, pointing at the hole.

"_I'm_ not fat," he says, grinning. I frown. I'm _not _fat. It's the armor. "I'm the only one that's gonna be able to get in."

"Hey!" Sheena yells. "What about me?"

"Well, you know..." Zelos puts his hands on his chest and... I think it's obvious what kind of gesture he makes. "With those melons, baby, you ain't getting through _any_ kinda hole."

I cover my face with my hand, not wanting to hear the rest of this conversation. Sheena sputters. "Y-you per-pervert- ugh!" She finally settles on slapping him with a resounding smack, and turns away, crossing her arms. Zelos moans, clutching the side of his face.

"My face!" he cries, staggering around. "My beautiful face! It's ruined!"

"It's been ruined for a long time," I say angrily. "Now shut up before I shove this ball of electricity up your-"

"I'm good, thanks!" Zelos cries, straightening up. "I don't want a ball of electricity up my-"

"Don't make me slap you again!" Sheena warns, raising her hand. Zelos cringes.

"Maybe I'd prefer to have the ball of electricity up my-"

"Can we _please_ get on with this?" I groan, face still buried in my palm. They both fall silent. "Thank _Martel_." A pang of longing floods through me at the mention of my deceased fiance, but I quickly dismiss it. I turn back to the door, conjuring yet another ball of electricity.

"What are you doing?" Zelos asks, sounding surprised.

"The hole is tiny."

"That's what she said."

Sheena scowls, but I turn around and lower my hand, mildly interested in spite of myself. "Shouldn't it be 'that's what _he _said'?"

Zelos stares at me for a moment, then replies, "Well, technically, yeah, but that doesn't have the same ring to it."

I pause. "What if I'd said-"

"Is this really necessary?" Sheena exclaims. We both glance at her, mouths half open. Immediately, I clear my throat and turn back to the door.

"_Anyways_. Zelos, stop going off topic."

"Hey, you started it!"

"Yes, because I was standing here thinking to myself 'Hmm, what can I say that will start a debate about the phrase "that's what she said"?' _You _started it, now shut your trap."

Without further ado, I blasted the hole even further open. Now fat Yuan with armor and cape can fit through.

No, I'm not fat.

"Why'd you have to open the hole more, you too fat to fit through?" Zelos snickers as we clamber through. I glare at him.

"Something closer to 'because I'm wearing pound upon pound of armor'."

He totally ignores me. "Or is the hole not big enough for your-"

"OK, thanks Zelos!" I say loudly, cutting him off. He looks offended, but shuts up. Sheena looks relieved.

We're in a long hallway, and I recognize it as the one that leads to the armory. There's a door of the other side of the armory that leads almost directly to the control room- though it's not necessary we end up there, it's my desired destination. Upon examination of the hallway, I realize that they aren't any Renegades. None at all. I can't hear anyone, either. I suddenly get a horrible, sinking feeling in my stomach and it becomes clear that Zelos was not lying when he said that the Renegades had up and left.

"Yuan?"

Zelos is poking around the hallway, peering through doors that he blasted open on his earlier visit. It's Sheena who says my name, softly like she pities me, like she... cares about me. I shake the sudden warm feeling away and turn to look at her.

She's staring at me with deep, brown eyes and a furrowed brow, face full of concern. Our eyes meet- chocolate against emerald- and I feel like I've known her longer than I really have. I'm aware of her hand, slowly reaching out- then, abruptly, she pulls it back and looks away. I can't help feeling disappointed that she broke the connection, but my right hand slides down to my left ring finger with a wave of sudden guilt. Then-

I'm not wearing my ring. I glance down at my left hand, aghast, gaping at my bare fingers. _I'm not wearing my ring_. Suddenly feeling panicky, I glance around with a hope that it just slipped off my finger as I stumbled through the hole in the door. I don't see it anywhere. Besides, I would've heard it drop.

This isn't the first occasion that I've thought I lost my ring. There was the time only a few years after Cruxis was formed when I thought I accidentally threw it off the edge of Derris-Kharlan. Then there was the time when I had the whole Renegade base searching for it, and it ended up that it had been in my pocket the whole time. And _then_ there was the time-

"Hey, old man, I don't mean to interrupt your meditating over there, but can we get moving?"

Zelos's voice totally crashes my train of thought, but I'm too flustered by the absence of my ring to glare at him. Nodding numbly, I stumble forward, blindly making my way towards the armory. At least I remember where it is.

Sheena and Zelos follow me in silence- then the Chosen breaks it.

"Hey, uh... gramps, are you alright?" he asks, sounding just slightly concerned. I realized that I've been walking with my head down, one arm crossed across my chest and the other holding my chin, shoulders hunched. Must look a little weird.

"Fine," I answer, trying not to sound too strained. As much as I hate to accept it, it seems that Zelos' story is true: not just the part about the Renegades, but the fact that I lost my memory for nearly a year. There's enough convincing evidence that I'm beginning to believe it. I'm not carrying Swallow, I don't have a wing pack, _I don't have my ring_... and the Renegades are gone. They would never leave on their own. If I really did lose my memory, then the Renegades must've known- otherwise, they would never have left.

"How did you say I lost my memory?" I ask suddenly. They never told me in the first place, but I figure that they must know. We reach the armory and I turn to face them.

"You uh..." Sheena hesitates, biting her lip. "You slipped."

"... I slipped."

"Yes."

"... on what?"

"On ice."

"I slipped on ice and I lost my memory."

"That's what you told us."

I sigh. Great. Way to go out like a hero, Yuan. "Fine. I can handle that." I blast the armory door open, and we climb inside. This room is just as vacant as the rest. We make our way across to the other side and I blast the other door open, allowing us to enter the hallway. It occurs to me that I could've just blasted the first door open, the very first one we encountered, and it would've saved us a lot of trouble. Then again, we wouldn't have had the lovely conversation concerning the phrase "that's what she said" if we'd done it that way.

We make the short walk to the control room in silence- save Zelos, who's muttering under his breath. I don't bother to listen even though I'm able to hear him. I'm somewhat preoccupied with a few things at the moment, namely- my ring, the Renegades and my memory loss. I've decided to accept it. There isn't any other theory that could explain everything weird I've noticed lately, so that has to be the truth. As much as I hate to admit it... it's beginning to look like I did lose my memory.

Once we reach the control room door, I immediately blast it open and enter.

It's just as I remember it- exactly the same as I had last seen it, and for a moment I scold myself for ever believing that I'd lost my memory. Then Sheena sneezes, and I discover one important detail that I had previously overlooked:

The entire room is caked in an half-inch-thick layer of dust.**1**

I gape. It's been a while since I've gaped quite like that, but I think this situation is gape-suitable.

They weren't lying. I really _have _been gone for a long time. I'm not a neat-freak or anything, but I would never let any room in this entire base get even half this dusty. I bite my lip, staring into space.

"Oh… wow…" That's all Zelos manages to say, but he does run his finger along the edge of a filing cabinet and get a disgusting amount of dust in his hand as a reward. Sheena and I are both silent.

* * *

**1- **That is an effing lot of dust.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia. I know, I can't come up with a good disclaimer. Or the Irving boy gets it. Argh. I be a pirate. Jk.


	12. Chap 11: Much Ado About Yuan

**Chapter Eleven: Much Ado About Yuan **

"What's the point of having two separate rooms if there's only three of us? And _you're _not even sleeping anyways."

"Shut up Zelos."

"Oooh, cold."

"_I _am not sharing a room with _you_, that's why."

"Sheeeeeeenaaaaa, that _hurt_."

"Good."

We'd left the Renegade base after entering the control room- I hadn't wanted to examine it too closely- and flown over to Flanoir to spend the night. Granted, I don't need to sleep but my companions do and this is the closest city to the base.

After Zelos and Sheena are settled in their separate rooms, I leave the noise and general rowdiness of the inn's lounge and pub to wander around the snowy city, hands stowed in my pockets. It's been a while since I've been so relaxed and at peace with myself- well, I actually don't know how long it's been due to my memory loss but it feels like I haven't been this calm in hundreds of years. It seems strange to me, though, that I've become so tranquil after all I've realized in the past few hours. One would think that I'd spaz out and get panicky- but I suppose I'm the opposite.

Spacing out, not thinking about anything in particular, I wander up the levels of the city until I come to the balcony that overlooks the snow-covered town. I stare out, eyes narrowed. This city brings back painful memories… I first came to Flanoir thousands of years ago, accompanied by Kratos, Mithos and Martel. Granted, it was known by a different name then- but it's very much the same city.

"…Yuan?"

Someone whispers my name from who knows how far away, and I glance back over my shoulder, snow fluttering in front of my eyes. There's no one directly behind me, but a couple stands about twenty feet to my right in front of the Church. Goodness knows what they're doing outside at five in the morning in this bitterly icy weather… then again, most of the people of this world refuse to believe that the Church of Martel was a scam. Perhaps they're devoted and have to come to pray in the arctic sunrise.

"…Yuan…"

Again. There it is again. Narrowing my eyes, I glance at the couple out of the corner of my eyes. They've turned to face each other, holding a private, whispered conference. The woman turns her head in my direction- upon noticing that I'm glaring at her, she freezes and nudges the man with her foot. He too looks over- but I turn away and descend the balcony steps, heading back to the inn. They know my name- there's no doubt about that. How, I've no idea. But I'm choosing not to do anything about it, which is untypical of me. Normally, I would confront them, demand to know how they know who I am. But… this is not normal. Many things can happen in eleven months, and I don't have any idea about what _did _happen.

As I trudge slowly back towards the inn, I'm aware of light footsteps behind me, following me to my destination. A discreet glance over my shoulder tells me that it's the same couple who were standing by the church. I frown and quicken my pace, disgruntled.

Eventually, I make it back to the inn and swing the door open, irritated by the couple who's followed me all way here. I'm immediately set upon by one of the waitresses, smiling and fluttering her eyelashes at me with a hand reaching for my arm, but a cold glare sends her scurrying.

I'm headed towards Zelos' room so that maybe I can just sit down and relax while he's sleeping, which may sound a bit creepy but it'll be better than having that annoying couple stalk me while I rest. It's been a long day (well, night actually) and I'm just stretching my arms over my head thinking how it would be great to just hop right in the shower (despite the fact that I can't feel the hot water, showers are still enjoyable) when I bump into someone. My immediate reaction is to snap at them, and when I see who it is that's exactly what I do.

"Where do you think you're going?" I hiss, crossing my arms. The flamboyant Chosen grins at me and tosses his long, Tuscan-red hair over his shoulders. He shrugs.

"Oh, you know… _around_," he says casually, smirking still. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. As if I didn't already know where he was going- the lobby and pub was absolutely _crawling _with ah… well, Zelos would call them "hunnies", no doubt.

"Fine," I grumble. "Just don't…"

"Don't what?"

I was going to tell him not to get lost or do anything stupid, but then again… well, no doubt he _is _going to do something stupid but also it would be nice to have him disappear for a while.

"Nevermind," I sigh. He rolls his eyes.

"You want me to leave, old man," he says, leaning against the clench. My jaw clenches. "You want to be aloooooone with _Sheeeeeenaaaaa_- ow!"

I pull my hand away and cross my arms, glaring at me. "You deserved that," I snap. He looks up, rubbing the spot where I whacked him over the head.

"That was mean," he says, making a pouty face. I continue glaring at him. He pauses for a moment, then sighs. "Fine, fine. I get it. I'll leave."

He scoots around me and hops down the stairs. Immediately, a chorus of squeals travels into my ears and I wince, cursing the Chosen. _Damn idiot_… then I remember that I was planning to take a shower in Zelos' room and without his key, I won't be able to get in. Not without damaging hotel property, that is.

"Zelos," I call, turning to face the stairwell. After a minute, he pokes his head around the wall, looking slightly irritated.

"What?" he groans, and I'm aware of the many "hunnies" flocking around him. He probably isn't used to being interrupted during his… whatever you want to call this.

"I need your key."

"…why?"

"Just give me the damn key."

"Not until you tell me why."

Now he's grinning, just annoying me for the heck of it. I start tapping my foot, cursing him in my mind. "I'm going to take a shower. Now can I have the key?"

He chuckles. "See, that wasn't so hard was it?" After a little fumbling in his pockets and a short toss up the stairs, the key is in my hands. "It's the uh…" He holds back a laugh and continues. "It's the last door on the right." I nod my thanks and turn to leave.

"Aw, wouldn't you like some of these lovely ladies to accompany you, old man?" Zelos yells from behind me. I scowl and glare at him over my shoulder. His hunnies (ugh, I hate that word) are clinging to him, all of them dark-haired, fair-skinned, skinny and quite… healthy. Not that I take note of those kinds of things, but I suppose that around Zelos no one can help it. The level of testosterone is so high- ugh, nevermind.

"You're an idiot," I mumble, turning back towards the long hallway. Zelos snickers from the first floor.

"Well, if you're suuuuuure… then again, you _will _have Sheena…"

Still scowling, I trudge down the hallway until I come upon the last door on the right. I put the key in the lock and- whadda ya know, it doesn't work. I'm pissed off and I do not want to go back and talk to Zelos. So I just sort of break the door down.

Whistling innocently, I step inside and put the door back in the frame before anyone can come running to see what happened. It's fixed- sort of. Granted, it doesn't open and close the right way… it just falls down. But it still works, so I'm not going to say anything about it. I'll let Zelos figure that one out for himself.

I stumble towards the bathroom door, plugging my ears. The one thing about having spectacular hearing is that when you only want peace and quiet, you can hear anything and everything that's going on within fifty feet of you. For example, the couple in the room across the hall sounds like they're on their… honeymoon. Exasperated, I check my watch. It's about four in the morning. Someone in the neighboring room is taking a shower, with lots of singing involved. I lean against the bathroom door, groaning. Maybe I should just lie down for a while. As I'm contemplating, I notice that the door is rather hot and a little moist. The person next door shuts off their shower and steps out at the same time I open the bathroom door.

It's a moment before my eyes register what I'm seeing in this hot and stuffy bathroom.

It takes the stark naked Sheena a while too.

Our eyes don't even meet. Obviously, I'm a little preoccupied with other, ah… _aspects _of her body and she's gaping at me like a fish out of water.

"GET OUT!" she shrieks suddenly, and in a few swift motions she whips a towel around herself and chucks a shampoo bottle at my head. _Clunk_. The bottle finds its target and I stumble back into the hallway, slamming against the front door that I kicked in earlier. I hop forward a little, but not before the door crashes down and whacks me on the head. I'm pretty much crushed under this door now, so I army crawl out and carefully put it back in place- again. Sheena's already slammed the bathroom door shut, so I'm left standing in the room with a flushed face and a rather interesting and inappropriate train of thought.

Humiliated, I fall back onto one of the beds and groan, covering my eyes with my hand. Zelos told me this was his room. What…?- oh. I pull the room key out of my pocket and glare at it. This isn't his room. It's _Sheena's_. That's why I had to break down the damn door… ugh. This day is not going well so far, and it's only four in the morning. I keep glaring at the key, contemplating my next move. I don't remember which room this key unlocks, so I could go try every keyhole on this floor. Then again, Sheena was almost finished with her shower, so I could just stay here. That being said, I should probably stay and apologize. I'm sure she wasn't reckoning on me barging in as she stepped out of the shower. I wasn't exactly reckoning on that either.

The bathroom door opens and Sheena steps out, fully clothed this time. She stands over me, arms crossed, face bright red. Clearing my throat, I sit up and attempt to gather my thoughts. Before I can speak, she barks one word.

"Explain."

I bristle, angry that she believes she can snap commands at me and have me follow all her orders- but then again, I suppose maybe she has the right to command me this time, given the circumstances. I glare back at her.

"Zelos told me that this was his room," I say defiantly, then realize just how stupid I sound. I am never going to live this down.

"How did you even get in?!" she exclaims. My response is to get up and attempt to pull the door open. It falls down, nearly squashing me _again_. Sheena stares, mouth hanging open.

"You broke down the door?" she asked, sounding bewildered. I crossed my arms.

"The key Zelos gave me wasn't working, so I had to resort to, err… more forceful means." She stares at me.

"Wasn't Zelos in his room?" she asks, brow furrowed. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"No, he was in the lobby picking up girls," I reply. She gives an "aahh…" and nods understandingly. Then the look of politeness is gone and replaced by one of fury. "But that doesn't change the fact that you walked in on me."

I glower at her, arms crossed even tighter. "I wasn't _trying _to," I insist. "I didn't know you were in there…"

"What about your super angelic hearing powers?" she asks dryly. "Couldn't you hear the shower running?" I frown, and mutter my response.

"I thought that was the shower next door…"

Sheena scowls, and I can't tell if she actually believes me or not. She turns away, her hair dripping water everywhere. "Whatever," she grumbles, stomping back into the bathroom. She slams the door behind herself and I hear the hairdryer start up. I'm standing in the doorway, the door at my feet, hands in my pockets. It's Dilemma Time, everyone. Hosted by yours truly, Yuan "feel-like-an-idiot" Ka'fai.

"So how'd your shower go, gramps?"

I spin around and come face-to-face with the infamous Zelos Wilder, who is leaning against the doorpost, snickering.

"You," I start, poking him in the chest, "are a bastard."

He chuckles, stepping back into the hallway. "Say what you like, old man," he says, still laughing, "but I did you a favor."

"You knew she was in the shower."

"Exactly."

I bristle. "You're an idiot, Chosen."

"Insulting me isn't going to help."

I glare at him and he smirks. It's the snack that smiles back.

Just kidding. I'm not actually going to eat him.

* * *

It's seven o'clock now. Having dried her hair, Sheena yawned widely, crawled back into bed and fell asleep. She's curled up under the sheets of the inn bed, her head slipping off the pillow. I'm sitting on the floor, my back against the wall, watching her pale, slender fingers hang off the edge of the bed, grasping at an invisible object. Zelos has yet to waltz in again, after he taunted me for half an hour. Eventually, I gave him his room key and he zipped off, leaving me alone with a sleeping Sheena.

She shifts in her sleep, rolling over so that I can see her face. I study her- the delicate features, dark eyelashes and porcelain skin…

"Are you watching me?" she mumbles suddenly, and with a jolt I realize that her eyes are only half-closed. Painfully slow, she raises her eyelids fully and stares at me, smiling. I cross my arms. I don't feel the need to answer.

"You _are watching_ me," she says, still in a mutter, then giggles. I scowl, turning my face away.

"I was _not_," I reply stubbornly. "I was merely determining whether you were still asleep or not."

"Nah, you were definitely watching me."

I glare at her, but she just chuckles again, then sits up and stretches her arms over her head. I can't help but watch, and of course, she notices me staring.

"Seriously, Yuan," she yawns. I feel like a hormonal schoolboy when she says my name… then I bite my lip, mentally pining for Martel. "You really need to control your-"

I'll never know what I need to control (though I'm hoping she only meant "yourself") because Zelos kicks the door in and flings himself into the already tiny room.

"What's up, my hunnies?!" he exclaims, then spots me. "Well… Yuan, you're not my hunny-"

"I _hope _not."

"- but Sheena is!"

She throws a pillow at him before he can move any further. He catches it, of course, and is about to yell something else when a look of shock suddenly appears on his face.

"You…" Zelos drops the pillow, glancing from me to Sheena, then to the unmade bed, then to my armor and cape which is piled at the foot of the bed- then back to me.

"Did you SLEEP with her?!" he squeals, jaw dropping. Sheena sputters, and slaps him.

"You _pervert_!" she shrieks. I scowl, kind of wishing Zelos was right. After the shower incident…

Ugh. I'm turning into Zelos.

"Aw, you _didn't _do the nasty, old man?"

This time it's me who smacks him. He staggers backwards, clutching his head. "OWCH! That hurt like hell!"

I turn away, rolling my eyes. "You're an idiot, Chosen."

"You already said that once this morning!"

"Yeah, well, I said it again, didn't I?"

Zelos pouts. "You're mean."

"Great observation."

Sheena interrupts by flinging herself out the door. "It's breakfast time. I know all mighty angels like yourself don't have to eat, but I'm hungry!

"I second that!" Zelos calls, skipping after her.

I cross my arms. "Fine. Let's go downstairs."

We tramp out into the hall and I glance back at the door, which is leaning against the frame. Sheena looks pointedly at me. I frown.

"_You_ kicked it in," Sheena accuses. I sigh.

"Fine. I'll pay for it," I grumble.

"Well, it's not like you don't have enough money," Zelos says as we made our way into the lobby. "I mean, you _are _4000 years old-"

"Yeah, too bad I lost my memory," I mumble in reply. To my surprise (and pleasure), he shuts up.

When I'm done explaining to the manager that I'd kicked in one of his doors (payback for what Zelos did to my doors), I pay him for the damage and leave to find Zelos and Sheena. They're not too difficult to spot- they've already gotten into an argument and Zelos has a big, red mark on his face. They both fall silent when I approach, and I get the feeling that they were talking about me. I was too preoccupied to try and overhear their conversation.

"Ready?" I ask quietly. They nod, expressions solemn, and we slip out the front door into the chill and snow of the New Year in Flanoir.

* * *

Zelos is the snack that smiles back.

:)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia, but if I did… bah, can't come up with anything.


	13. Chap 12: Esther and Isaiah

**Chapter Twelve: Esther and Isaiah**

It's snowing. Again.

Why is it always snowing in Flanoir? Don't they already have enough snow as it is?

Number one reason that I hate snow: it makes me look like I have really bad dandruff.

…moving on.

The quiet of Flanoir in the morn is a grateful change from the general rowdiness of the pub inside the inn. Sheena and I are standing outside in the snow, waiting for Zelos who insisted on bidding good morning to his hunnies in the pub. If he's not out here in five seconds-

"See you later, my darlings!"

The former Chosen of Tethe'alla skips out of the inn, runs right into Sheen and is smacked.

"Ow," he groans. "What was that for?"

Sheena fumes. "You trod on my foot!" she exclaims. "And almost knocked me over, _and _almost pushed me into Yuan-"

"Ok, ok, I get it," he grumbles, then glances mischievously from me to Sheena. "Why are you two standing so close to each other?"

Probably acting on instinct, Sheena immediately takes a step away from me but I don't even move. Zelos smirks, and I glare at him.

I suggest finding a place for them to eat breakfast, and they both immediately comply. Soon after we set off, Zelos picks up a bundle of snow, packs it into a snowball and throws it at my face. I electrocute him.

"You're so mean," he moans, still twitching. I glare.

"You deserved it."

"What did I do?!"

"You pelted me with snow."

"Haven't you ever had a snowball fight, gramps?"

"Not in a couple thousand years. And stop calling me gramps."

Soon after, we find a café, so I tell them I'll meet them back there in about fifteen minutes and end up walking all over Flanoir trying to find a spot of peace and quiet. Not working out for me so far. I just need a little while to clear my head. Like I don't have enough time. Speaking of time, it seems like forever ago that I woke up in Zelos' mansion, even though it was only six or seven hours before now. I'm just cursing my horrible luck when I hear someone call my name.

"Yuan?"

I turn around, half expecting to come face to face with Irving (that's sort of who it sounds like) when I'm almost knocked over by someone as they bombard me. Cursing under my breath, I shove the person off of me and he ends up lying on his back in the snow. He stares up at me, looking bemused, while I glare at him.

"What are you doing here?" he blurts out, sitting up in the snow. I furrow my brow.

"What are you talking about?" I snap. "And how do you know my name?"

He stares at me from behind crooked glasses and curly blonde bangs. "You mean… you don't…"

"I don't _what_?!"

There's a long silence as he continues to gape at me- then shakes his head and stumbles to his feet. "Nothing. N-nevermind. I… I must've mistaken you for someone else. Forgive me."

"You know my name!" I yell- but he's already gone. Just like that. Disappeared into a crowd of snowball-throwers and ice sculptors. I'm still staring after him when I realize that Sheena and Zelos are probably wondering where I am, so I hurry forward. My arms are crossed, so I suppose I'm giving off the impression that I'm freezing because a young woman with curly brown hair approaches me and asks if I'm interested in joining her for tea.

I stop walking and stare at her, eyes narrowed. She doesn't say anything, but bites her lip and smiles nervously.

First, who drinks tea around here? I thought coffee was the big thing in Flanoir. Maybe it was 4000 years ago. Secondly, I only stop walking because she's familiar. Familiar as in… I feel like I used to know her. I have _definitely _seen this girl somewhere before. I just… can't figure out where. So, there's one logical thing to do.

"Do I know you?" I ask. She grins. My suspicion level is rising rapidly.

"You could say that," she replies, shrugging. She shoves her hands in her pockets and starts to rock back and forth on the balls of her heels. "Do I look familiar?"

I frown. I'm not answering that question. "Have we met before?"

She cocks her head to one side, still smirking. "We have, actually… more than once."

She deserves to be smacked, but I refrain. "What is that implying?"

"Ew, not like that!" she exclaims, scrunching up her nose. "Pervert."

I roll my eyes. Obviously, this conversation is not going anywhere. "No thanks," I say tartly, then start to walk off again.

"Wait, seriously!"

The girl dashes up in front of me, blocking my path. Fuming, I glare at her.

"Get out of my way," I growl. She puts her hands out.

"No, _seriously_. Do I look familiar?"

What is this chick's problem? Why I am continuously being assaulted by people that I don't know? "Yes, you do. Now _move_."

She grinned and put her hands on her hips. "Sir, you may not remember me-"

Sir? What…? Wait.

"-but I'm an ex-Renegade."

I narrow my eyes, staring her down. Ex-Renegade? "You're that tech-savvy," I say finally, and am surprised when my voice cracks slightly. She nods.

"Yes sir."

There are about three hundred million questions I want to ask her, but it's been about twenty minutes since Zelos and Sheena left and they're probably wondering where I am. Still, I can't just leave.

"What's your name?" I say.

"Esther LaDore, sir," she answers, standing at ease, ankle deep in snow.

I stroke my chin. "And where are all the other Renegades?"

She shuffles her feet awkwardly. "Er… it's kind of a long story, sir."

"I'm good at waiting." After all, I do have 4000 years experience.

Esther sighs. "Well… you do know that you lost your memory, right?"

I cross my arms. "I've been told that's what happened to me, yes."

"And you know _how_ you lost your memory, sir?"

"… my companions told me."

"And what'd they say?"

This again? Why? "… they told me that I slipped on ice."

She stares at me with a half-disbelieving, half-amused expression on her face. Then she bursts out laughing and I feel like a moron.

"What?" I snap. "Do you think that's funny?"

Esther straightens up, still grinning. "Erm… well… that's uh, that's not how you lost your memory, sir." Great. So _now_ I find out.

"So what did happen?" I ask. Esther crosses her arms.

"Can we go somewhere a bit warmer, sir?" she asks. "I know it's not bothering you, but _I'm _cold. Plus I'm not sure if you want strangers to hear this."

That's… kind of ominous sounding. "Fine. Whereto?"

She leads me to café that is apparently frequented by the locals but also travelers, and upon our entrance we bump right into Sheena and Zelos.

"Oh hey!" Zelos yells, grinning broadly. "We were just wondering where you were. Who's this, your girlfriend?"

"She's an ex-Renegade," I growl, glaring at him. I turn to say something to Esther, but it's then that I realize that she's gaping at Sheena like a fish out of water. Sheena looks confused, her eyebrows raised.

"You're that girl!" Esther exclaims suddenly. Her jade green eyes are wide as she jumps up and down on her toes, pointing at Sheena. "Yeah, you're that ninja girl from the hangar!"

Sheena's face clearly expresses bafflement. "The… hangar…?" she says slowly. "What are you…"

Esther suddenly stops jumping around, and blushes slightly. "Sorry," she giggles. "Yeah, you wouldn't recognize me. I'm an ex-Renegade, so I would've been wearing my helmet. Remember- in the hangar… about a year and a half ago?"

Sheena suddenly gasps, and clasps her hands over her mouth. "Yes!" she exclaims. "Oh, yes, now I know what you're talking about!"

Zelos and I glance at each other. He's obviously just as confused as me. I clear my throat to get their attention, but neither of them hear me.

"Is that why…?" Sheena trails off, nodding her head in my direction. Esther screws up her face in confusion. "Or do you not know?" the ninja asks quickly. "About… about-"

"Oh!" the brunette says suddenly. "Yeah, that's why. That's what we think at least. I mean, Cosmo never really found out-"

"Excuse me, ladies," Zelos interrupts, "but uh… would you mind explaining what's going on?"

They both blush and grin sheepishly. "Sorry," Esther says. "Got carried away."

I roll my eyes. "_Obviously_. Now, what exactly…?"

"Right… we should sit down," Esther suggests. "It's kind of a long story."

We move to an empty table that could seat at least six. "What's kind of a long story?" I ask suspiciously.

"How you lost your memory," Esther answers. "You were told that you slipped on ice, right?"

"…right."

"Well, that's not how it happened. That's not how it happened at _all _."

I sense a really long story coming up.

"So what did happen?" Zelos asks.

Esther smoothes down her hair. "First off, Lord Yuan, what's the last thing you remember besides today?"

I think back. This is a tough one. Let's see, rewind through the last few hours and… "I was in my office," I say quietly. "And someone came in to tell me something… and then I went to the hangar and…" My mouth goes dry, because I've realized that that's the very last thing I remember if I exclude all of today. I remember going to the rheaird hangar and that's it. There's nothing after that.

Esther nods. "That's what I thought. The rheaird hangar was where you lost your memory for the first time."

"Wait, the first time? But-"

"I think you've lost it about four times now."

I scowl. "Four times?! I only remember losing it… well…"

"Exactly," Esther continues. "You don't remember any of those. Well, I guess you sort of remember the fourth time, but-"

"So are you going to tell me how I lost my memory in the first place?" I interrupt. She purses her lips.

"Well… it happened about a year and a half ago, which was almost two years after the world was regenerated. Lloyd Irving and his posse-"

"I object to that!"

"Shut up, Zelos."

"- had finally decided to return their rheairds to the us."

I glare at Zelos. "Yeah, you guys never gave them back after you saved the worlds."

He scoffs. "How would you know anyways? You've only lost your memory- oh, what is it now, fifty times?"

"You-"

"Oy!" Sheena snaps in her fingers in my face. "Listen."

I slump back in my seat, arms crossed. "Continue."

Esther absentmindedly doodles on the table with her finger while talking. "So anyways, the whole point is that they were returning the rheairds. Apparently no one really wanted to do it, so Sheena came alone. She brought them to the base in Triet and took to the wing pack to the hangar. One of the other Renegades went to go tell you that the rheairds were finally back. You decided that you didn't believe him, so you went to the hangar to see for yourself.

"It was back in August of 4027 when this happened. It was a real scorcher that day, even by Triet standards. The desert was hotter than ever-"

"Does this have anything to do with the story, or are you simply reminiscing?" I ask bluntly. Esther frowns.

"It has everything to do with the story!"

"…ugh, fine, whatever."

She clears her throat. "So, point is, it was really, really, really, _really_ hot that day. The rheairds had been taken out of the wing pack and were sitting in the hangar, though we hadn't put them up yet. They were all just sort of scattered around. Anyways, one of the mechanics was fiddling with the rheaird that Sheena had been riding. He was a little worried about it since, a) it was so absolutely hot that day and b) it had been in use for about two years with no check-ups or anything. So the mechanic was trying to see if anything was wrong with it, and the moment you stepped in the door- well, he realized that something _was _wrong with it."

I frown. "And what was that?"

"It had overheated. Sheena hadn't ridden it very far, just from Iselia, but with the combination of the weather that day and the fact that it hadn't been looked it by a mechanic for two years, it was bound to have something wrong. Of course, the mechanic only found this out by prodding the engine with a metal wire." She started to curl a lock of brown hair around one finger. "And… it sort of… exploded."

I stare at her. "It _exploded_?"

Sheena nodded vigorously. "Mm-hmm. I was there. I remember. I just sort of went… boom. Like, it didn't just go up in flames. It actually exploded. Rheaird pieces were flying everywhere."

I glare at Sheena. "So if you were there, how come you didn't ever tell me what happened?"

She glances down at her hands, which she's wringing nervously. "Ah… well…"

"She didn't really know what happened," Esther interrupted, waving a hand in the air. "You and a couple of other guys had been blown to the side by the explosion, and we didn't really realize that at first, mostly because we didn't actually know you had been coming to the hangar. We told Sheena that it was all right, that we could clean up the mess by ourselves and she left. She didn't know that you'd been involved in the explosion."

I rub my temples, trying to get this through my head. You'd think that Esther's story would spark something in my brain and I would suddenly remember everything, but- obviously- that didn't happen. "So what happened then?"

"We found you guys. It was you and I think… maybe two other mechanics. The mechanics were fine, they'd been standing to the side of the rheaird, and the guy who'd prodded the rheaird in the first place only broke a couple of rib bones or something. But you'd been standing right in the doorway, with the engine aimed like… right at you, so you'd gotten the full impact of the explosion.

"Our full-time healers had left their positions almost immediately after the worlds were regenerated, so the only person we had with any medical training was Cosmo, one of the captains. He only knew anything about healing because he was tight like this-" Esther crosses two of her fingers over each other. "- with most of the healers. Anyways, you didn't wake up for a while, so Cosmo looked you over and guessed that you'd been hit on the head by a part of the engine."

I sigh. This is almost even worse than slipping on ice. Almost.

"You woke up a few hours later, but uh… you lost your memory."

I put my head in my heads. "This is a wonderful story, Esther. Do continue."

"Well, you know, we were a little confused because we didn't realize at first that your memory was gone. So Cosmo talked to you for a while, and that's when he figured it out."

"Figured what out?"

"He was just sort of guessing, but he thought that the part of the engine that hit you knocked you into a temporary coma, resulting in what he called 'anterograde amnesia'."

Never heard of it. I raise my eyebrows at her. "So… what is that?"

Esther furrows her brow. "I'm… not really clear on it. I think it's when you lose your ability to create memories or something… I don't really know."

"That's helpful," Zelos snorts. Esther glares at him.

"Although, I do know someone who _can _explain it to you," she says, turning back to me.

"Oh yeah? Who?"

She stands up, stretches, yawns, and then answers. "My husband, Isaiah. He's an ex-Renegade also, but he was one of the medics that left before the explosion incident occurred." She smirks at me. "I only approached you this morning because he said there was something funny going on with you."

I frowned. "What do you mean? I've never even met this guy."

"He tackled you earlier."

Oh. _That _guy. "…great."

"Well, let's get going!" Zelos exclaims. "Seems like you've got quite a tale there, Yuan."

"Shut up."

* * *

Cut it off right here because Isaiah's explanation about anterograde amnesia is going to take quite a while. And then he'll get into retrograde amnesia and all that jazz.

:) Maybe. Probably not. But then Esther has to finish telling her story and all _that _jazz… yeah, so it could take a while to get through that.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Symphonia. Anterograde amnesia is REAL. I discovered it when I watched "Rumbling Hearts." Tis an anime.


	14. Chap 13: Anterograde Amnesia

**Chapter Thirteen: Anterograde Amnesia**

The moment I step inside Esther and Isaiah's apartment, a chill runs down my spine, and I narrow my eyes, a feeling of familiarity setting in at once. There's something about this place that I recognize- I know I've been here before. It occurs to me that if I've been living in Flanoir ever since I lost my memory, these two ex-Renegades were most likely friendly to me, eager for me to regain my memory. Or maybe just the opposite- perhaps they didn't want me to return to normal. Whatever. This is familiar, and that's that.

"Welcome to our humble abode," Esther chirps, reminding me eerily of Colette. "Make yourselves at home- I'll go get Isaiah."

She skips off into another room while Zelos, Sheena and I stare at each other, none of us wanting to be the first to sit down. Zelos clears his throat.

"Well, this is certainly turning out to be an adventure," he says, grinning. Sheena and I glare at him. "Fine, fine. Be that way," he mutters, crossing his arms. "Just ignore me."

I turn away from him, still unnerved, and examine the apartment. It's fairly small, with cheap wood floors, a sofa, an armchair and an open doorway that must lead into the kitchen. There's an enormous window on one side, so I move to look out of it and find that all I can see is white. We must be on the very edge of the city, overlooking the snowy fields beyond Flanoir.

Esther skids back into the room, with Isaiah right behind her. Sure enough, it's the blonde guy with the glasses that bombarded me earlier this morning. He casts me an examining glance, then gestures towards the various couches and arm chairs. "Please sit," he says, running his gaze over the three of us.

I'm not sure if Zelos and Sheena are thinking the same thing, but this guy is really creeping me out. Glancing at my companions, I take a seat on one of the couches across from where Esther and Isaiah have sat down and am surprised to find myself next to Sheena. I'm really starting to get the impression that she has a crush on me… whatever. Better her than Zelos. Speaking of which, the redhead is left out and forced to sit on an armchair, much to my pleasure. Ha. That's called karma.

There's a small awkward silence as we all just stare at each other, obviously unsure of how to start this uncomfortable conversation. Well, uncomfortable me for at any rate. It's not exactly fun, talking about how you lost your memory multiple times in different stupid ways.

Esther clears her throat, still smiling. "Well, I guess… back to where we were?"

"Which was…?" Isaiah turns to her, raising his eyebrows. She drums her fingers on her pant leg.

"Hmmm… anterograde amnesia," she says, suddenly serious. "We'd just gotten to that and I'm afraid I wasn't able to explain it very well."

"You were a medic?" I interrupt, my arms crossed.

He nods. "A full-time medic, yes. I was already living here when I found out what happened."

I narrow my eyes. "So… anterograde amnesia? Care to explain?"

Isaiah adjusts his half-moon glasses, examining me over the top of them. I meet his sky blue eyes, glaring at him, but he only studies me with a neutral expression.

"Anterograde amnesia," he starts, "is the loss of the ability to create memories. When you hit your head, for example, you must have damaged the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that is usually damaged in cases of anterograde amnesia. When you woke up that first time, you'd lost all of your memories from these last 4000 years. You thought you were back in the Kharlan war, and believed you'd been captured by Tethe'allan soldiers."

I frown. "But you'd said I'd just-"

Isaiah cuts me off, waving his head. "I know, I said you'd just lost the ability to create memories. That was true, too. According to what Esther said, you'd woken up about two days after the accident and didn't remember anything that had happened in the previous two days. But you also lost all of your memories from after the worlds were split, as well as some memories from before then." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "Anterograde amnesia is a complicated limb of science because no one knows everything about the brain. There are many things that we don't still don't understand," he sighs, wiping his glasses off on his sleeve.

Sheena shifts in her seat next to me, her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "So wait," she says slowly. "He… lost his memories from… the last 4000 years? But why… how'd he get it back? And why-" Isaiah puts up a hand, cutting her off.

"I'm getting there," he says. "But, perhaps Esther should finish her story first."

Esther crosses her legs and leans back in her seat. "Ooh, where we were? So you'd been hit by a part of the engine, lost your memory, woke up a couple hours later and had no idea where you were. Well, you _had _an idea, it just wasn't the correct one."

"I thought I'd been taken hostage by the Tethe'allans?" I ask, remembering what Isaiah had said. She nodded.

"At first, we had no idea what you were talking about because… well, forgive me, but it's kind of easy to forget that you're 4000 years old sometimes."

I scowl. "I suppose I'll take that as a compliment."

"Good. Anyways, we didn't really know what was wrong with you at that point, so we went along and just pretended like we actually were Tethe'allan soldiers."

I roll my eyes. That must've proved to be amusing.

"You accepted that you'd been uh… 'captured' and sort of calmed down a little. Well, the next morning we went through the exact same situation as we did the first day."

"Whoa, wait," Zelos interrupts holding up a hand, "so when you said ant-…whatever amnesia causes a loss of the ability to create memories, you were serious?"

Isaiah crosses his arms. "Of course I was serious. When he woke up the second day after the accident, he didn't remember anything from the first day. That's the way anterograde amnesia works. His brain could not create memories, so he was forced to wake up everyday and find out that he'd been 'captured' by soldiers. Of course, he didn't know he was repeating the same day over and over."

"Really?" Sheena frowns. "It's like that story… I don't remember what it was called, but… the main character was in an accident and was forced to repeat the same day for the rest of his life…"

Esther nods, turning back to me. "Exactly. Every morning, you'd wake up and it would come as a shock to you that you were 'being held' inside a 'Tethe'allan base'. At first, Cosmo didn't know exactly what was wrong with you, so he suggested that we try and alter each day to see if something triggered your memory. He thought that if every day started the same but ended differently then maybe something would click in your brain and you'd realize that time really was passing.

"Well," Esther sighs, "Cosmo ended up being right. After about three weeks, you finally started to show signs that you'd realized time was passing." I rub my temples, thinking how weird it is to talk about something that happened to you that you don't even remember. Weird… right? "We had different… I guess you'd call them 'schedules' that we used for different days. Since we were supposed to be altering every day to make it completely different from the next, we had a list of ways to change the days-"

"That kind of creeps me out," I interrupt.

"It _is _kind of weird to think about, but it worked. I visited you one day, and a week later when I came back you remembered that I'd come to see you. Your 'creating-memories-ability' was recovering."

Esther slides down on the couch, face turned towards the ceiling and feet propped up on a futon. "Well… about a month, Cosmo doubted that you were ever going to fully recover. He suggested we remove you from the Renegade base and take you to Flanoir because the base- it's well… not really a proper place to 'start over' in life. I argued with him for a bit because I knew it would confuse the hell out of you. Your memory still wasn't that great and you still believed us to be enemy soldiers. We couldn't just take you someplace completely different and expect you to be able to cope with it. So he compromised with me- we'd been keeping you in the infirmary, so he reasoned that it would look pretty much the same as a hospital room."

"You put me in the hospital?" I exclaim. For a second there, I thought she was going to start talking about nursing homes. Damn. I feel old.

Esther's feet dropped to the floor. "Well… not exactly," she says slowly, biting her lip.

I sighed. "There's a lot more, isn't there?"

"Oh yeah."

Gah. My life sucks. "…bring it on."

Esther chuckles, and continues to story-tell. "Well, Cosmo, some other Renegades and I had been arguing about what to do. We were interrupted by friend, Iregi, who told us that he'd found you unconscious."

I sink lower into my seat, still scowling. This is a pretty horrible thing to listen to, even if I don't remember it. Beside me, Sheena draws her knees up to her chin and stares intently at the wall, as if trying to burn a hole in it with some super secret ninja laser vision or something. Ha-ha. I made a funny. I mentally groan, wondering why the hell I would even use that phrase.

… I made a funny.

Ok, moving on.

"We got kind of freaked out," Esther continues, "and when Cosmo examined you, he merely thought you were unconscious. We let you be for a while because he told us you'd wake up in a couple of hours." She sighs. "Well, ten hours went by. You didn't wake up. Cosmo didn't know what was wrong with you, so we figured it was time to get outside medical help. Which is where Isaiah comes in."

"He's not really outside help though, is he?" Zelos says suddenly. "I mean, he _was _a Renegade after all…"

"Shut up, Zelos."

"Yuuuuuuaaaan-"

"Don't make me shove this ball of electricity up your-"

"Ack! I've told you like three hundred times already, I don't want that ball of electricity up my-"

Sheena reaches over and smacks Zelos, clenching her teeth. "Will you two _quit it_ with the ball of electricity thing?!"

Scowling, I put away my awesome ball of electricity. "He started it," Zelos grumbles, crossing his arms. I stick my tongue out at him. There really is something wrong with me today. She smiles at Esther. "Please continue," she says in a falsely sweet tone. Esther, who's looking quite amused, clears his throat and goes on with the story.

"Anyways, we took you to Flanoir and managed to find Isaiah. He examined you and told us you'd gone into a coma." Yay. More comas. "At this point, we… well, we didn't really know what to do. Luckily, at that time, Isaiah worked in physical therapy center, and they agreed to take you even after we explained that you were a Seraph."

"You told them about that?!"I yell. Esther looked alarm.

"Well, we had to, didn't we? They would have _realized _if you weren't breathing or never went to sleep-"

"Yes but _still_," I grumble, glaring at no one in particular. I guess I've gotten used to the idea that only about nine other people know- well, _eight _, I suppose Kratos doesn't really count. But anyhow, my Seraph-ism has always been kept a secret from regular people, excluding Irving and his posse. It just seems strange to think about someone else knowing.

"You woke up after a week-"

"Wait," I interrupt, holding up a hand. "I already know all this. This is where-"

"No it's not," Isaiah says, adjusting his glasses. "You woke up after a week, and your memory was completely regained. Currently, you only remember waking up at Zelos'-"

But he cut himself off with a sharp inhalation of breath. His eyes immediately narrowed and he examined me.

"You said you remember this?" he asks, sounding suspicious. I frown.

"Yes. I woke up in the therapy center and I was in rehab for a couple of months, and once I was let out I moved to Meltokio. But you said-"

"Wait, you remember that?!" Sheena exclaims, gaping at me. I open my mouth to reply, but no sound comes out. I remembered. I remembered everything that happened… I…

I sink back onto the couch, eyes wide, trying to straighten up my thoughts. When did that happen? When did I suddenly regain my memory? I remember _everything_… everything from the Kharlan War, to Cruxis, to Irving and his friends, the Great Seed, the Renegades, waking up in the hospital, going through rehab… and _that's _when I slipped on the ice. Raine had told me when I woke up in Zelos' mansion that I'd slipped on ice and lost my memory. Which… is true. After I'd woken up from the coma and gone through rehab, the first day they released me I slipped on a patch of ice and hit my head… and I went into _another _coma… when I woke up, I had to go through rehab again, and that's when I moved to Meltokio and met Sheena and Zelos and… the party and… the date? I glance over at Sheena, who's watching me nervously. The Chosen girl wasn't lying. We really_ did_ go on a date. And-

"You kissed me."

My words ring through the room, which is completely silent otherwise. Esther and Isaiah both stare, eyebrows raised while Zelos just glances around, looking extremely confused. Sheena, on the other hand, blushes a deep pink and gapes at me.

"W-what?" she stutters, eyes wide. I concentrate hard, thinking back to last night in Meltokio, holding hands in the noble district on our way to Zelos' house.

"You kissed me!" I exclaim again, jumping up and holding out a shaking finger. "You _kissed _me!"

"OMAGAWDESS, YOU KISSED HIM?!" Zelos shrieks, practically falling out of his chair. "MY VOLUPTUOUS HUNNY, YOU KISSED A FOUR-THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD HALF-ELF?!?"

I kick Zelos in the shin, still not taking my eyes off Sheena. "Don't be racist," I bark, kicking him again.

"What is going on?" Isaiah demands, standing up with his hands on his hips. Sheena and Esther get to their feet also, although both of them are standing up rather shakily. I tear my eyes away from Sheena's surprised face and glance at the floor, running through my newly-recovered memories. She _definitely _kissed me. I know that for sure. In my head, I run over Esther's story again. It makes sense, fits in with every memory I have- except…

Frowning, I turn to face the window. I don't remember anything that happened in between getting hit by a piece of the engine and waking up in the therapy center for the first time. Not that it's something I actually _want _to remember but…

"Yuan?" Esther asks gently. "Are… are you ok?"

Lips pursed, I stumble towards the door.

"I… I just need some time to think."

As my hand clenches the doorknob, I hear Sheena run up behind me. "Wait," she says, "Yuan…"

Reminiscing, I glance at my left hand ring finger again and half-smile to myself. Sheena takes a step closer and, in a move that surprises even myself, I reach out, take her hand and lead her out into the cold of Flanoir.

I tighten my grip on Sheena's hand, and it's strange but I feel like I never want to let her go. She struggles to keep up with me at first, so I slow my pace and we're soon walking side by side. She glances at me, the very slightest glint of fear in her eyes.

"Yuan," she gasps, trying to free her hand from mine, "where are we going?"

I don't answer at first, mostly because I'm not really sure myself. I'm lost in thought, trying to decide how to act in front of her- as my usual coldhearted self, or as the kinder, warmer me that I only remembered just recently. I can't think straight. I can't…

"I don't know," I reply, my voice cracking. "We're… walking."

She tries to pull her hand out of her grasp, but I grip her even tighter and speed up, heading towards the center of town. We speed-walk in silence for a while, and after a moment Sheena manages to break her hand free- but instead of stopping or leaving, she clutches my forearm, her bare arms brushing against my cloak. Ah. That's right. I stop for a second, and she stumbles forward, caught by surprise. Quickly, I unbutton my cloak and drape it over her shoulders. She stutters, glancing nervously at me, but takes it anyway.

"…you… you looked cold," I mutter, feeling the heat rise in my face. Taking her hand again, I continue walking, even faster than before. Ugh, what is wrong with me? I feel like I've got split personalities. One moment I'm the _normal _me, and the next second I'm reduced to _this_. I liked it better when I didn't have my memory at all.

Sheena wraps my cloak tightly around herself and tugs on my arm. "Yuan…" she says, firmer than before. "Where are we _going_?"

Slowing down until I come to a complete stop, I glance around the center of town which we are overlooking as we stand on a railed ledge near the item shop. Hmmm… I… I just need some time to think… some place relaxing, but I'm so frustrated I need to keep moving… There's absolutely nowhere to go. We're in Flanoir, after all. Then-

"C'mon," I hear myself say, dragging Sheena down the steps, not believing I'm actually doing this, "we're going ice skating."

* * *

Yep. Confusing.

To summarize:

-hit by the engine

- went into first coma

- woke up, thought he'd been captured

- went into second coma

- woke up in therapy center

- rehab

- slipped on ice (idiot)

- went into third coma (you'd think he'd be dead by now)

- woke up in therapy center AGAIN

- rehab AGAIN

- released, moved to Meltokio

- date, party, blah blah blah,

- and… yeah.

Yuan's life sucks. End of story.

Speaking of "end of story", it is my regret to inform you that Reminiscence is coming to an end. There'll be one or two (maybe even three) more chapters, and possibly (very, very possibly) an epilogue. Sad, isn't it?

But also, I mentioned in my disclaimer in Chapter 4 that if I owned ToS then there would be a sidequest called "Kratos' Birthday." Now, when Mieu review Chapter 4, she said (and I quote) "If there was a sidequest about Kratos' Birthday, it would be about getting enough candles to light."

That being said, I am officially (as of right now) writing a fic called "Kratos' Birthday", and here is the summary:

_Lloyd is trying to find enough candles. Zelos is trying to find his purpose. And Yuan is still, damn it, still trying to find his ring._

Yeeeeepp. Multi-chapter. Epicness. Remiel's Catering Service. Something that looks suspiciously like a narwhal. Regal-bashing.

WOOTNESS.


	15. Chap 14: Breaking the Ice

**Chapter Fourteen: Breaking the Ice**

This part of Flanoir is relatively quiet for the morning, considering it's usually the busiest place in town. Then again, it is only about eight o'clock a.m. The peaceful silence is broken as Sheena jumps away from me and shrieks, her eyes wide in shock.

"I-ice skating?!" she exclaims, looking horrified. I raise my eyebrows, now practically skipping towards the skating rink.

"You can skate, right?" I asked. She nods, still looking mortified.

"Well… yes, but… Yuan, maybe… maybe you should lay down…" She trails off as I shoot her a glare, not meaning to look as mean as I probably do. She's probably right- it would be wise for me to rest for a while, I suppose, since there's really no telling what's wrong with me and my stupid memory, but laying down is the thing I least want to do right now. I just need to keep moving.

"No," I reply bluntly. "I'm not going to just lay down."

"But-"

"I need to keep moving, I don't know why. Just to keep my mind working or something… I don't know."

I start down the icy stairs,

"Why ice skating?" Sheena asks ten minutes later, lacing up her skates. She's been quiet, probably having realized that I'm sort of pissed off right now. I frown.

"Why not?" I ask, glaring at my own ice skates.

Sheena starts to respond with "Well-" but I cut her off.

"Do these make me look gay?" I interrupt, stretching my legs out in front of me. She stares at me, gaping.

"Um… what?!"

I sigh, turning to face her." Do these skates make me look gay?"

She only stares at me. "Yuan, I _really_ think you should lie down."

"Too bad." She sighs, and I watch as she finishes lacing up her skates and turns to me with a slight grimace on her face.

"We're not _really _going ice skating, are we?" she asks, sounding reluctant. In response, I pluck her hand off the bench and we wobble together towards the rink.

"Of course we are," I answer calmly, practically dragging Sheena behind me. "Why wouldn't we be?"

Sheena bit her lip, looking nervous. "Well, for starters-"

"Nevermind, don't give me a lecture."

We reach the nearly empty rink, the only other skaters being a young woman and her small daughter. Gripping Sheena's hand tighter, I step forward, balancing on the delicate edge of my skates, and pull her towards me. Hesitant at first, Sheena allows herself to be yanked onto the rink, and after wobbling for a moment, we set off around the ice. Sheena stumbles a bit, but she recovers quickly and is fine after that. Her hand feels good in, enlaced with mine, even if I can't feel her body heat.

Sheena glances at me as we skate in silence, the sound of our blades against the ice singing through the morning breeze. She still has my cape over her shoulders, but it's sort of floating behind her as we skate, so it's not really doing her much good. I remember the first time I came to Flanoir- it was _freezing_. I don't know how she's been going around in _that _for hours in this icy wonderland.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice breaks the chilly silence, startling me, and she avoids my eyes as I examine her, trying to figure out what she's sorry about. If there's anyone who needs to apologize, it should be me. All of a sudden, she stops, her skates screech to a halt and her feet fly out from under her, resulting in her landing on her back on the ice. Raising my eyebrows, I skate back a little and stand over her, a hand reaching down towards her. She sits up, takes one look at my hand and shakes her head.

"I'm sorry," she repeats, her voice smaller this time. Still confused, I furrow my brow and kneel down to next to her.

"For what?" I ask, genuinely perplexed. "Why should you be sorry?"

"I…I just…" she sniffs, and with a jolt I realize tears are streaming steadily down her cheeks. The mother and daughter pair cast us curious looks, but, luckily, have enough smarts to skate past us and pretend that we aren't here. Sheena covers her face with her hands and remains silent for a moment. Unsure of what exactly to do, I sit and wait for her to speak again. Eventually, she unmasks her face and wipes her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, sounding slightly haunted. "I've just complicated things even more and… you don't... you don't need any more trouble right now, you've got enough problems without me screwing everything up…"

I reach out and put a hand on her shoulder, but it doesn't help at all. The tears don't cease, she doesn't calm down, it's not all OK… if it's possible, my heart breaks even more as I'm distinctly reminded of a night 4000 years ago, a night that I will never forget as long as I live. It was the eve of the day that Martel had been killed, and as I lay on the ground that night, staring up into the heavens, my ears caught the faint sounds of crying…

_~Flashback~_

_ If the world had already ended, why wasn't I dead yet? Why was I still there? What was the point of living on after time stood still?_

_ There wasn't a point. Martel… Martel was gone… gone forever, and I should have died with her, at least so she wouldn't be alone in the afterlife, or wherever the lost souls go. _

_ My mouth pursed in a thin line, I glared up at the dark sky, at the stars and constellations, the shadows and the mysteries, my heart aching with longing and pain. I felt lost and worthless without her by my side- like a small child left behind by his mother, abandoned at birth because she'd gone on to a better existence. _

_ Suddenly, my view of the heavens was blocked by the face of a young boy, emerald eyes bloodshot from shedding tears, golden bangs covering his forehead. Mithos peered over me, his mouth forming a small, pouting frown. _

_ "Are you awake?" he whispered, his arms crossed as he watched me._

_ Even in my grief, I couldn't help but wonder why he would ask such a dumb question, and was tempted to tell him in response that I often move my eyes and blink while I'm asleep._

_ "Yes," I said instead, figuring he wasn't in the mood for sarcasm. He sniffled a little bit, then dropped to his knees next to me. He sat still for a moment, then turned to me. _

_ "Why did she have to die?" he whispered, his voice haunted with grief. Sitting up, I examined Mithos closely and saw that he'd begun to cry, silver tears dripping off his cheeks. Turning away from me, he buried his face in his hands, shoulders heaving. "Why…?"_

_ I was hesitant. Mithos and I weren't particularly close- we had tended to fight with each other, sometimes over Martel, and he was an annoying brat. (He was convinced that I was a jerk- whatever.) But he was Martel's little brother, and I felt a responsibility for him even though I knew Kratos cared for him and knew him better than I did. Still, it was me he had chosen to talk to tonight, not Kratos. _

_ "Mithos," I sighed, putting an arm around his shoulders. He flinched, but made no move to scoot away. I sighed again. "Mithos, listen to me, please."_

_ "She left me!" he wailed, sobbing into his hands. "I'm… I'm so alone…"_

_ It hurt me, honestly, to see him like this. I tried again. "Mithos… come on…"_

_ He launched himself into my arms, tears still streaming his face, and hugged me so tightly for a moment I thought I couldn't breathe._

_ "I miss her, Yuan," he cried. I was still frozen by the surprise move he had made, but quickly recovered and patted him stiffly on the back._

_ "I know," I whispered. "I miss her too… but… she's… she's gone on to a better place-"_

_ I didn't believe that myself, and I knew he wouldn't either. Immediately, his eyes turned angry and he shoved me away, hissing._

_ "Don't you say that!" he yelled, clenching his fists. "Don't you_ dare _say that! She was alright here… she was fine here…"_

_ He sat apart from me, muttering and sobbing into his hands, knees up against his chest, and I froze where I was, hesitant and unable to do anything. He cried to himself, "I need her… I _need _her here… she can't be gone…" _

_ After a moment of silence, save his sobs, Mithos sat back and let out a long breath, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. For a moment, he looked dangerous- mad and out of control. He turned his head slowly, glaring at me. _

_ "I will get her back," he hissed, his teeth clenched. "I _will _get her back."_

_~End Flashback~_

"Hey," I say quietly, moving my arm to cover her bare shoulders. "It's alright. You don't need to worry."

"But-" Sheena swallows her tears and grabs my shoulder, her head bent so I can't see her face. "But… I'm just causing so much trouble… you already have- have a lot t-to deal with…"

My grip around her shoulders tighter now, I wipe some of the tears off her face with the side of my hand, trying to think of how to calm her down. "It's alright," I whisper. "It's alright…" Her head collapses onto my shoulder, soaking my tunic, and I wrap my arms around her, my lips pressed against the side of her face.

"It's alright," I whisper again. "You don't need to worry about it. You haven't done anything wrong."

"But I-I… I'm not helping, I'm just in your way-"

"You're not," I say firmly, holding her tighter now. "You're not in my way. I'm serious."

She gasps for breath, clutching my shoulders, face still pressed against the side of my neck. I can feel her breathing, heaving and gasping against me, her arms now hung around my neck, holding me tighter than I've got her. We're both quiet for a moment, just sitting there on the ice and holding each other- it makes me surprised to realize that I think I do sort of care for her… it's confusing. I thought I loved Martel, but I never want to let Sheena go.

_Martel is gone_, I tell myself, repeating in my mind what I had told Mithos so long ago. _She's left this world, gone on to a better place and there's nothing you can do to change that. It's Sheena you love-_

Love? I suddenly feel awkward, as if she and I don't belong in each other's arms, and it becomes difficult for me to keep holding on to her. Do I love her? I don't think that I do.

"Sorry," she says suddenly, laughing a bit. I'm relieved to see that she's feeling better as she lifts her head and bites her lip, staring nervously at me. "Sorry you had to see me like that," she says in a slightly more serious tone. "It's just… face it, I really am just sort of- here. Just tagging along when you've got so many other things to worry about."

For a split second, I seriously consider agreeing with her, getting this over with and watching her leave, and I imagine myself finding my ring and wallowing in my own grief and being depressed about Martel while she goes off and does whatever she's been doing for the past three years. I think she the hesitation in my eyes because she turns her face away and mutters something about maybe going back to the apartment. I almost agree, again. I almost tell her that I'm going back to the Renegade base and never showing my face to the world again.

Then a ghost kisses me on the lips and I remember the feeling that ran through me when we were in Meltokio. It was the greatest thing in the world, being kissed in the falling snow, blissfully unaware of the world around me.

"They're probably looking for us," Sheena says, but I only distantly hear her. She moves to stand up, to skate away and leave me alone, but I grab her hand and stop her.

"No," I say, pulling her up with me. She glances at me, silent. "Let's stay out here," I continue. "I need to talk to you."

* * *

"You think they're OK?" Colette exclaims, anxiously wringing her hands. "They've been gone for an awful long time… Oh, I worry too much. I'm sorry."

Lloyd rolls his eyes. "Don't be sorry, you dork. There's nothing wrong with worrying about your friends." He glances out the window at the noble quarters of Meltokio, covered in snow, and beginning to awaken. "Besides, they'll be fine. They can take care of themselves."

"Yeah but… I'm going to feel really bad if something happens to them!"

Colette peers out the window, looking for any signs of her friends, then turns away. "They left over six hours ago… it doesn't take that long to get to Flanoir, does it?"

"Nah, it only takes like forty-five minutes or something," Lloyd responds, leaning his forehead against the glass. "Maybe they- hey!"

Colette jumps suddenly, surprised by Lloyd's exclamation. "What is it, Lloyd?" she asks, turning back to the window.

"It's Genis and the Professor!" he yells. "What are they doing back here?"

There's a sudden knock on the front door, and, even though he wasn't in the room, Sebastian somehow manages to get there before Sir Bud does. He swings the door open, and Raine and Genis step inside, stomping the snow off their boots.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lloyd exclaims as he rushes towards them.

Raine looks up, her brow furrowed. "Where are Yuan and Zelos? And Sheena?"

"They went to Flanoir," Colette explains, clasping her hands together. "But they're not back yet. They've been gone for so long…"

Genis frowns. "Huh? Why'd they leave?"

Lloyd shrugs. "Yuan wanted to go back to the Renegade Base, and Zelos insisted that he and Sheena accompany him."

"And they're not back yet?" Raine asks, glancing around the main room.

"Nope."

"Hmmm… I wonder…" She trails off, stroking her chin. Lloyd glances at Colette.

"Hey, I've been thinking," he says quietly so that Raine can't hear, "do you reckon I should've given Yuan his ring back?"

Colette glances up. "Huh? Oh… the one Kratos told you about?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Well, he probably misses Martel a lot so… maybe we should've. I'm sorry I didn't say anything about it."

"You dork!"

* * *

"You think they're OK?" Esther says quietly to Isaiah. They're both standing at the window, hands in their pockets or arms crossed, watching a light snow fall, searching the visible parts of the city for electric blue hair and a bun of raven black. Isaiah shrugs and glances at the street directly below them, watching a figure with Tuscan red hair contemplating in the snow. He wonders briefly if it was a good idea to send Zelos to hunt down Yuan and Sheena, but dismisses the thought.

"I hope so," he mutters in response. "Yuan seemed kind of… upset."

"Well, you can't really blame him," Esther sighs. "I mean, I'd be _pissed _if I went into like five comas and couldn't remember any of it."

"Though of course, now he _can_ remember it all."

"True. Which may make it even worse."

"That's what I was afraid of."

Esther turns to face her husband. "What do you mean?" she asks slowly. Isaiah adjusts his glasses.

"Well, it probably wasn't easy for him to wake up this morning and be informed that he'd lost his memory and had only just regained it."

"Yeah, so?"

"When we first talked to him, he seemed to have accepted that if he couldn't remember it."

"Yeah."

"He wasn't happy about it, it drove him a little crazy at first, but he at least accepted it as the truth. Which it is."

"Yup."

"But…" Isaiah frowns, watching Zelos disappear behind a building as he heads towards downtown Flanoir. "There's a part of me that thinks this may be too much for him to handle. He only _just _got all of his memories back and we all know that Yuan isn't generally a very calm person…"

"Yeah, he can be kind of a spaz," Esther agrees, leaning on the windowsill. They're both silent for a moment, then- "I'm worried about that too," Esther says quietly. "Like… is he ever really gonna be the same? I imagine it's not easy to suddenly have this whole pile of memories that you didn't have before… and it's not like they're all happy memories either, some of 'em must be kind of depressing, you know? Remembering when he was in the hospital and therapy and whatever…"

Isaiah purses his lips together, his arms crossed. "So what do you think he's got going on with ninja girl?"

"Haha, I was wondering that myself… seems like they've got a story to tell, huh?"

"Heh, I'd love to hear it sometime…"

* * *

"You're not in my way," I start, holding Sheena's hand and leading her towards the nearest bench. There's a crowd of kids gathering at the skate rental booth, and I get the feeling that this is the popular hanging spot of teenagers on their winter break. "I don't want you to think that."

"But-"

"Zip it."

She falls silent, looking slightly amused, slightly embarrassed, and we sit down on a bench, close together.

"I'm sorry if you feel that you're causing me trouble," I say, not letting go of her hand. "It… makes me happy, I guess, having you with me." She stares at me, a quizzical expression on her face, and I begin to feel a little awkward, having trouble finding the right words without sounding like a fool. "I guess… well…" Maybe I am a fool, but I'm a happy fool at the very least.

Sheena's still watching me, looking confused, concerned… whatever. I squeeze her hand tighter, lean over and kiss her.

* * *

Whew. When was the last time I updated this?

So yeah. Sick. Out of town. The login button hates me. Internet died because of hurricane Ida. Yep.

But now everything's all better. Review pretty please?

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Tales of Symphonia, there would be no such thing as getting sick, because I have been sick once in August, twice in September, once in October, and already once in November and it sucks like a vacuum. Or a black hole. And also hurricanes would not cause power outages. BLARGH. Random lol.


	16. Chap 15: Back to Meltokio

**Chapter Fifteen: Back to Meltokio  
**

"Mmm…"

Sheena wraps one of her arms around my neck, the other caressing my cheek, and I pull her closer to me, savoring the taste of her lips and the feeling of her bare hands running through my hair…

It's such a strange experience to be kissing her- our lips meet, faces close together, bodies tight against each other- and I can't really explain it. It's not like I've never kissed anyone before. That would be ridiculous. I'm over 4000 years old. But there's just something different about the way Sheena and I are touching…

We finally break apart, mostly because Sheena needs to breathe, and her eyes are closed, her hand still resting against my cheek with her forehead on my shoulder. There's a moment of silence, and then she breaks it.

"You just kissed me," she says, quietly, sounding breathless.

"…yes." I hold her pale face in my fingers, examining her chocolate eyes, and I can't decide if I'm going crazy or falling in love.

She leans in again, and we meet, catching each other's lips and stroking each other's skin, holding her tight to me and never wanting to let go. My hands are around her waist, clasped, and pulling her closer to me, her arms locked around my neck-

"OY!"

I think the world hates me.

"GET A ROOM, YOU TWO!"

Zelos needs to jump off a cliff. Damn it, he has wings.

Sheena and I pull away from each other, both of us startled and ready to run Zelos through with the biggest sword we can find. The redhead pounces, jumping out from behind the skate rental shack, and puts an arm around each of us, still grinning like an idiot. I am so ready to kill this guy.

"So lovebirds," he starts, "bet you didn't know I was watching you, huh?"

"Zelos, you bastard," I exclaim, shoving him off of me. Sheena does the same, only she adds a nice loud slap. He stumbles back, cursing, and makes the pouty face at me.

"You guys are so mean-"

"Maybe if you didn't sneak up on us like that, we wouldn't want to kill you!" Sheena yells, jumping up and glaring at him. We have now successfully attracted the attention of everyone within twenty feet. This seems to be my special talent or something.

"Yuan would," Zelos grumbles, and he crosses his arms. I glare at him.

"Of course I'd want to kill you," I reply. "You're an asshole."

"You make me feel really good about myself, you know that?"

"I figured as much."

Sheena clears her throat, still glowering at Zelos. "So maybe you should like… leave us alone now," she says, hands on her hips. "You know… now that you found us… or whatever you were trying to do."

Zelos grins suddenly, chuckling. "Why, you two gonna make out again or something?"

Somehow, I resist the urge to _kill him_, but Sheena does slap him again. That makes me feel better. "Why are you here anyways?" I snap at him. He frowns.

"What, I'm not allowed to walk around town?"

Sheena was fuming. "You were totally spying on us!"

"Well, hunny, it's not my fault you two decided to snog in the middle of a public square."

As much as I hate Zelos, and as much as I love Sheena, this is really quite amusing and I'm tempted to let them carry on arguing. Still, it doesn't seem right to let them. Besides, Sheena and I were in the middle of a kiss.

"Why are you here, Zelos?" I repeat. He suddenly looks more serious, and crosses his arms.

"Esther and Isaiah wanted to know where you two went," he explained, "so they sent me to come find you."

Damn it. I'd forgotten about them.

"Well, you found us," I snap. "So maybe now you can leave." Zelos makes puppy-dog eyes at me, but I don't know why he's even trying. What does he expect me to do, totally forgive him for sneaking up on us like that? Yeah right.

"They wanted me to bring you back," he says. "They wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

He shrugs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I dunno. Something important." He hesitates, then says, "They looked worried."

I guess that can be considered reassuring, but still, I'm not too keen to head back there. Sheena, however, who I didn't notice had moved to stand next to me, has other ideas and tugs at my hand gently.

"We should go back," she says softly. "We did kind of just… leave."

I purse my lips, but there's no argument against that. It's true that I just dragged Sheena out the door- I figure I don't have an excuse. Sighing, I glare at Zelos again.

"Fine. Lead the way."

I clasp Sheena's hand tighter and follow Zelos out of the skating rink (realizing that, of course, we left our skates lying on the bench) and up the steps that lead to the main street. The Chosen looks a little pained upon seeing us holding hands, but that's just too bad for him.

It's almost 9:00 a.m. Main Street (or whatever it's called) is more crowded than it was when Sheena and I left the apartment earlier, but I suppose that only makes sense. We pass a group of schoolchildren, pelting each other with snowballs, and one narrowly misses me. Before I can swear at the kid, Sheena yanks me forward, sighing to herself. We swerve our way through the rest of the town folk, who, bundled up in their scarves and winter coats, stare at us as we pass- I'm not cold, obviously, but none of us are exactly dressed for Flanoir weather. Zelos and Sheena are still in their formal outfits, though Sheena does have my cape on. Not like that's really going to help or anything.

We reach the apartment building (it's farther away than I thought- I guess that makes sense in a stupid sort of way, because I was storming away from the apartment so fast that it seemed closer than it really is) and climb the stairs until we reach Esther and Isaiah's door. Zelos doesn't even bother to knock- he just barges in like he's known them all his eyes (Sheena rolls her eyes) and dramatically announces that we're back. Like they didn't notice.

Isaiah isn't anywhere to be found, but Esther's sitting on the couch holding a mug of what I'm assuming to be hot cocoa. She glances up as we follow Zelos into the living room, rolling our eyes at him, and her eyes kindle with excitement.

"You're back!" she exclaims, squealing slightly. I hate squeals. They are… painful to the ear.

Zelos grins. "Yep. We are back indeed. Took me forever to find them. And when I did they were totally making out in public-"

Esther's whole face lights up like she's suddenly having the best day in the world. She jumps up from the couch, jaw gaping, but she's still somehow smiling. "Seriously?" she shrieks. "You guys were making out?! Again?!"

I scowl deeply, crossing my arms. "We were not _making out_," I argue, and this is when I realize that maybe we _were _making out, and maybe Sheena realizes this too because she's standing behind me giggling, her hand on my shoulder. Zelos grins at me.

"You two were _so _making out," he says, snickering. Well, so _what_?

"So why'd you want to talk to me?" I ask Esther, cutting off Zelos' giggling. We are changing the subject. Because I said so.

Esther, who is still smirking, damn it, obviously senses my reasoning for the sudden change of conversation, and is kind enough to not bring it up. She sits down again, gesturing to the other couch that's across from me. Tentatively, I take a seat, Sheena next to me (Zelos is once again in the armchair), and wonder where Isaiah is. I glance at Esther, who's staring at her feet.

"We were wondering," she says quietly, giving way to a sudden change of mood, "what you were planning to do now that you know the truth." She looks up, biting her lip and I have to turn away.

I've been wondering that myself, and I can't possibly come up with an answer. There are… many options, none of them as appealing as I would like them to be. I know both Esther and Isaiah are probably hoping I will bring the Renegades back together, but I don't see how it could ever be the same. Besides, what would be the point? Granted, the world is a little crazy right now, still recovering from the shock of finding out about Cruxis and their goddess- whom they still fully believe in, I might add-. But I think it's time to let this world run its course. There's been enough behind-the-scenes work in this age for a lifetime, nevermind four. So the Renegades are out of the question.

And what else is left? Flanoir, I suppose. I could move back here. But that's not really that appealing. So then there's Meltokio- I _do _own an apartment there… And what about Sheena? What's going to happen to us?

My right hand slips down to my left, clutching the bare finger there, still puzzling about where my ring could have gone.

"Well?" Zelos asks, breaking the long silence. "What's it gonna be, chump?" Sheena glares at me, but I'm too lost in thought to care. I suppose the logical thing to do would be to move back to Meltokio, considering I do own an apartment there, but then what? What am I supposed to do without the Renegades? Just sit around all day?

By the look one Esther's face, it's obvious she knows what I'm thinking. She clears her throat, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Put it this way," she starts, "Cruxis is gone. The world is saved. There isn't a lot of work left to do. The only troubles that we can help solve right now are the rocky relations between Tethe'alla and Sylvarant- but shouldn't that be left up to the people of this world? Shouldn't we let them do this so they get a feel for their freedoms of a new world?"

"You're right," I say finally, my chin resting in my hand. "I think it's time for us to step down and see what happens."

Esther hesitates, then responds with, "So you're not regrouping the Renegades." It's hard not to hear the disappointment in her voice, but she just said it herself- this world no longer needs our help.

"No," I reply. "The Renegades are over."

"Well, what _are _you going to do?" Zelos asks. "Stay here?"

I lean back in my seat, crossing my arms. Sheena's been quiet ever since we got here, and I get the feeling that she thinks she's not a factor in my decision. This, of course, is bullshit.

"No," I say. "I think I'll go back to Meltokio."

Esther wrinkles her nose. "Meltokio? Why?"

"Well… that's where I live, isn't it?"

"Yes, but-"

"They're back!" Isaiah appears in the hall, adjusting his glasses, and glances at me. "Have you been discussing your, ah… decision?"

"He's going back to Meltokio," Zelos answered, rolling his eyes. "That automatically makes you my new best friend, Yuan."

Shit. Zelos lives in Meltokio. "No, it doesn't," I say, glaring at him. Isaiah chuckles, and sits down next to Esther.

"So you're going back to Meltokio," he says, stroking his chin. "Well, I can't blame you. It's freaking cold here."

"It's not that bad," Esther argues, but everyone else is already rolling their eyes at her. I would too, maybe if I could feel the cold. Obviously, Isaiah doesn't notice what he said, and neither does anyone else.

"So it's over?" Zelos asks, curling up in the armchair. "Yuan's great tale of memory loss has come to an end?"

It's not nearly over, because Sheena still hasn't said a word, but Zelos doesn't need to know that, so I kindly leave that bit out. "It… seems that way," I say, my arms still crossed.

"Are you going back today?" Isaiah asks. Well, _duh_. What the hell am I gonna do around here?"

"Yes," I respond, keeping that part to myself. "We left Irving and his girlfriend alone at Zelos' mansion- goddess knows they've probably wrecked it by now."

Zelos blew a raspberry, waving his hand. "Pssh, _lies_, Yuan. Lloyd's my bud- he wouldn't do anything like that!"

"I didn't say it was on purpose."

Sheena stands up, determinedly not looking at me. "I need to go back to Meltokio too- I left my bag in my hotel room."

"And I live there."

"No way, Zelos."

We stand up, exchange goodbyes with Esther and Isaiah, and make our way to the door. I don't know what the big deal is- it's not like we'll never see them again. Well, maybe Zelos and Sheena won't, but they'll be on my doorstep tomorrow morning, I bet. Ugh, I would kill them if they did that.

Walking back to the city entrance so we can embark on our spectacularly boring journey back to Meltokio is a little awkward, namely because Sheena is giving me the cold shoulder. Of course, Zelos is flirting with every woman in sight- there is that. He's a good ten feet ahead of us (no complaints there), but just in case, I grab Sheena by the arm and slow her down a little. She glances at me, and the look in her eyes isn't angry- just disappointed. I keep hold of her arm and start to talk.

"I know what you're thinking," I say, but she cuts me off.

"It's alright," she responds, jerking her arm out of my grasp. "I understand."

Great, this is going to be fun- especially since I'm so wonderful at comforting depressed women. But I already did it once this morning, so this shouldn't _really _be a problem.

"You think so," I say, slowing her down even more. We're walking about a step a minute now, but Zelos looks pretty ready to start eavesdropping, and this is one conversation I don't want him to hear. "Look, I could've chosen to regroup the Renegades and go on living as a spy or a traitor or whatever I am."

"But that's not what you chose," she says. "You're going back to Meltokio."

"I know. But it'll be easier this way-"

"_What _will be easier this way?"

I rub my temples, trying to think of how to phrase this. How do you tell a woman who you only really met yesterday that you think you're in love with her? And why the hell do I still think I'm in love with her? I just said it myself, we only actually got to know each other the day before and then all this random shit happened and I lost my memory like 500 gajillion times… granted, we did kind of kiss. Make-out. Whatever.

"Sheena, I'm trying to say-"

"Are you two coming or what?"

We've reached the city entrance, and Zelos is already out on the fields, readying the rheairds and yelling at us to hurry up. Sheena takes one last glance at me, then runs after him.

"Do you think they're all right?" Colette asks, still frantic. Genis rolls his eyes, setting down his journal for one moment.

"Colette, its _Yuan_. Why are you so worried about him?"

"Well… well, he helped us, remember? And- and he was friends with Mr. Kratos and-"

"Yeah. With _Kratos_."

"Genis, what do you have against Kratos?" Raine asks, glaring at her younger brother. He frowns, scowling.

"Well, he betrayed us! And he was such a jerk, especially to Lloyd, and then he's all like 'Guess what, loser? I'm your father, my middle name is Darth Vader-'"

Raine sighs. "Don't let Lloyd hear you saying that."

Colette turns away from the window and stares at Genis with a confused expression. "Who's Darth Vader?" she asks, looking puzzled. Genis sighs.

"Some evil guy… from some book or something…"

"But Mr. Kratos isn't evil."

Genis picks up his journal again, still scowling. "Yes he is, Colette. Don't think otherwise for one second- OW! _Sis_!"

Raine crosses her arms and lets out a huff. "That wasn't me, Genis. I told you not to let Lloyd hear you saying that!"

Genis looks up, and sees Lloyd standing over him, holding a dictionary. "Heyyyy… my best friend, best friend in the whole, wide world-"

"Don't talk about Kra-Da-Kratos-Dad like that!" Lloyd exclaims, face flushing. Genis is spared answering when the front door opens, and in walk Zelos, Sheena and I. Or is that me? Whatever. Sheena still hasn't spoken to me since we left Flanoir, which is kind of pissing me off. Not that you can really talk to each other when you're flying on rheairds at almost thirty miles an hour, but- you know… It takes a good bit of walking to get to Zelos' mansion, but she was silent the whole time. Not one word, or even a glance. I think she's determined to forget that we ever kissed.

"Hey, you're back!" Irving exclaims, standing up. He whacks his head on the dictionary that Mithos' boyfriend (Genis, is it?) is holding over him. "Owch!"

"Oh, goodness, I was worried!" the Chosen (ditzy, blonde) gasps, breaking out in a smile. Heavens knows why she was worried about us. We're big kids, Chosen girl. We can take care of ourselves. Except maybe for Zelos.

"Did you miss me, hunnies?" he yells, trying to embrace Irving, who flushes and squirms away. Raine chuckles, coming to stand in between Sheena and I. Goddess. This is the freak that wants my sperm.

"So how was the Renegade base?" she asks, and it's hard to tell if she's addressing me or Sheena. Then again, this is probably her way of trying to wheedle information out of me, so I suppose I should answer. Not that I'll give her what she wants.

"Fine," Sheena and I say in unison. We glance at each other, and our eyes meet for the first time since we left Flanoir. I clear my throat.

"It was informative," I tell a smirking Raine.

"Oh?"

I glance across the room, thinking how strange it is that Zelos made a beeline for Irving and pretty much glomped him. I wonder for a moment if they're gay, which gets me thinking about the time Kratos and I went to the bar a couple thousand years ago and we kissed or something and nevermind.

"Yuan's gotten his memory back," Sheena says, slightly icily, her arms crossed. Raine raises her eyebrows.

"All of it? Every last bit from your childhood 'til now?"

Why did she have to bring my childhood into this? My childhood sucked. Even more pissed off now, I give a mute nod, which, of course, doesn't seem to satisfy her but… fuck her.

I'm waiting for a chance to get Sheena alone so we can have a heart-to-heart or whatever, and, luckily, there's a distraction in the form of Zelos stealing Genis' notebook and reading it's contents out loud to the whole room. Of course, this causes chaos- Genis leaps over the back of his chair, successfully knocking it over, Raine yells at him, Zelos is running away from him, now he's throwing it to Irving who looks confused (as always) and Chosen girl is flipping out about how someone's going to get hurt-, so I take this opportunity to grab Sheena by the wrist and pull her through the nearest doorway.

Which, of course, is a tiny, dark and very suggestive closet.

* * *

So did you know there's a type of motorbike called 08 Yuan Renegade?

Yeah. I found that out the other day and nearly had a heart attack.

Also, I was watching Aladdin, and it occurred to me that Aladdin's voice sort of reminds me of Emil. Strange? Probably. But seriously, listen to his singing… it's like WHOA EMIL.

So then I listened to Jasmine speak… she _sort of _sounds like Marta. Not as squealy. Scary.

And in case you're wondering, no- this is not the last chapter. That would just be stoopid. But the next chapter is the last. And it's shorter than most. There is a very slim chance of an epilogue, because I have never been able to write a good epilogue since Harry Potter 7. If you have read that book- ew. Everything else was awesome except the epilogue.

**Disclaimer: **So, omg, I found this song on YouTube- it's called "Reminiscence" and it's played on the hang (look it up) by a guy named Dante Bucci and it's freaking amazing. I don't own Tales of Symphonia. Don't ask me what that had to do with my disclaimer.


	17. Chap 16: Kiss Me

**Chapter Sixteen: Kiss Me**

"W-what are you doing?" Sheena gasps.

This is the most awkward position I have been in for a very long time. Sheena's pressed against the wall, and I'm up against her, our legs entwined together. I don't even know where my arms are.

"Trust me, I only wanted to talk to you," I grunt, trying to lift myself off of her and stand up straight. Unfortunately, this closet is absolutely teeny- meaning, there's only about two square feet of space that isn't taken up by coats and whatnot.

"Then why the hell are we in this closet?! They're gonna think we're making out or something," she hisses in my ear. I chuckle.

"Maybe we are…"

"Yuan!"

"Ok, ok, sorry." I manage to finally stand straight, though my back's nearly against the door and we're still very close to each other. "I wanted to talk to you."

"So why'd we come in here?"

"Well, I didn't know this was a closet, alright?" Even in the darkness, I can tell that Sheena's still glaring at me, which causes me to sigh.

"Look," I say. "I know I said that I've moving back here, to Meltokio, but-"

"It's fine," she interrupts, sounding irritated. "Don't worry about any of this, I'll get over it."

"That's not it," I argue. "I didn't mean it like I never want to see you again, because that's not true."

She's silent for a moment, and then she sighs. "Sorry," she says quietly. "I guess I just thought… I don't know. We barely even know each other, so I thought you wouldn't really have cared at all."

The only part of her apology that I hear is the bit about "we barely even know each other" which sticks out like a sore thumb. It's the hideous truth- not hideous, I suppose, just weird and a little ridiculous, but that's almost always the case, isn't it? Every love story you hear about, don't they always fall in love at first sight?- That's not _quite _the case with Sheena and I (and I'm my mind is twisting some preposterous fantasy of what might've happened if we really had fallen in love at first sight- and it involves a lot of interesting details, like how Chosen girl would probably die, and how the world would probably end- but _anyways_.)

"Yuan?" Sheena asks, and I force myself to interrupt that strange thought about us eloping.

"Hm?"

"Can we leave this closet now?"

"Oh, Sheena, why would you want to? It's so cosy…"

"Yuan, I'm about this close to slapping you."

"You're also about this close to turning me on…"

"Yuan!"

"Ok, ok, we're leaving."

I reach behind me, fumbling for the doorknob, and the moment I find it, I yank the door open and stumble out, Sheena right behind me- and, granted, Zelos is standing right there.

"My, my!" he exclaims, pretending to act surprised (like he totally wasn't eavesdropping on us the whole time). "What have we here? Yuan, I'm disappointed in you. I didn't expect you to-"

"-drop to your standards?" I suggest, glaring at me. Zelos frowns, faking a hurt look.

"Hey," he says. "Don't hate on the Great Zelos Wilder." I roll my eyes, and Sheena glares at him.

"So what were you guys doing in there?" he asks, leaning against the wall. "I heard some ah… _whispering _going on…"

"Maybe we were making out," I suggest, and Sheena scowls, though her face does turn a bit pink. Ha. Zelos grins.

"I knew it. I so knew it-"

Irving pops his head around the corner, grinning immediately as he spots us. "That's where you guys went!" he exclaims. "We were looking for you."

"We've been gone for like two seconds," I said, scowling. Chosen Girl appears behind him, her eyes wide.

"I know!" she gasps. "That's why we were so worried." Sometimes, and this is going to sound mean, but sometimes I sincerely worry about her. Like, seriously. I do.

"Well, thanks, Colette," Sheena says, and it's obvious that she's used to dealing with the Chosen's… whatever you wanna call that. We're holding hands, but I certainly don't mind, and the only one who seems to notice is Zelos, who's waggling his eyebrows at me, no doubt trying to send me a telepathic message about what we were doing in the closet.

"Why were you guys in there?" Irving asks, pointing to the closet. Sheena rolls her eyes.

"Let it go, guys, we were talking," she says, scowling. Zelos grins.

"Right… _talking_…"

"Anyways," I interrupt, "maybe I should get going."

They all stare at me, eyes wide. "Huh?" Sheena asks, letting go of my hand. "Where are you going?"

"To my apartment," I reply, "but you're coming with me."

I take her hand again, turn, wave to Zelos, Irving and Colette (finally got her name right), and pull Sheena out the front door. She tightens her grip on my hand, furrowing her brow as I gently kick the door shut.

"Why are we going to your apartment?" she asks, sounding curious, as we set off towards the less-snooty residential district of Meltokio.

"We still need to talk about one thing that I thought wasn't very suitable for a closet," I say. Sheena gives me a look, but she doesn't say anything else and soon we come to an apartment building. I remember what it looks like inside, but it's still not clear exactly which one is mine, or if this is even the right complex.

"It's this one," Sheena says, leading me up the stairs. "The one in the middle." We reach the apartment door- Genius Me doesn't have a key.

"This is a problem," I sigh. Sheena giggles.

"You could just kick it open."

"And walk in on you naked?"

"Good plan, except for one thing- I'm not in your bathroom naked."

That's a real shame- granted, I don't say anything about that, only grin and chuckle. Sheena surprises me then by pulling a key ring, with a key duh, out of… nowhere is what it looks like, because her formal outfit doesn't appear to have any pockets. I can only guess where she was keeping that key.

"So why do you have that?" I ask as she unlocks my front door. The key clicks in the lock, and she swings the door open.

"I took it from you after you collapsed on the balcony at the party," she says, looking slightly guilty. "I figured maybe… well, I thought your sudden collapse had something to do with your memory so I figured it was better if I took it." She hands the key back to me, and steps inside the apartment, dragging me in behind her.

It's not really anything exciting- just your average apartment, though it's quite bare and empty. But it gives a mellow sort of feeling.

I shut the front door, and Sheena is in front of me, looking concerned. "What do we still need to talk about?" she asks. We sit down on the couch together, and I take a deep breath.

"I'm staying here in Meltokio," I say. "That's final. I'm going to try and live a normal life now, despite my… angelic side-effects. But I know…"

"I'm the chief of Mizuho," she says, frowning. "That's a pretty long distance."

"I know. I'm not asking you to keep in contact with me if you don't want. I'll understand." But she's already shaking her head, smiling as she does.

"Nah," she says. "I probably won't last much longer as chief anyways. It's kind of boring, to be honest. Orochi can manage fine without me."

I have no idea who Orochi is (some ninja dude, no doubt), but I nod anyways.

"So is that it?" she says. "That's all? It's… it's over now?"

"There's one last thing," I say, trying to suppress a smirk. Sheena raises her eyebrows.

"What is it?"

"Kiss me," I say, and she does.

* * *

It is over.

Kratos' Birthday is like bleh in my brain right now.

IT'S ALSO SNOWING.

And there is no epilogue because that would just ruin it.

Now I can start working on The Merchant of Iselia.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Tales of Symphonia. THE END.


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